Do you know what is the greatest war in evolutionary biology in nature ? Read Along! 🧵
The story of The Giraffe vs the Acacia!! 🦒 🌳
The Acacia tree is the quintessential tree of Africa. Any random google search of African wild will throw an image of an Acacia Tree
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The Acacia has evolved over time to counter many of nature’s challenges. As it grows in dry savannahs of Africa, they were a great source of food for all antelopes & buffalos & were thoroughly grazed. So, they evolved to have a longer bare trunk & leaves only at the top
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Well done Acacia! Nature had a response - The Giraffes!
Having a long neck and no competition to graze at a height, Acacia trees became prime feeding options for the Giraffes. Over east and central Africa , Giraffes boomed at the expense of Acacias!
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Acacias made their next move!!Evolutionary biologists have studied that they evolved to have sharp thorns in them next. Sharp thorns along the branches to avoid Giraffes from plundering them!! (Also getting their name from ‘Akis’ meaning thorns in Greek)
Nice move Acacias!
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Giraffes had to make their next move. So they did. They developed almost 45cms long tongues which are prehensile and can easily manoeuver the thorns and pick the leaves out. Coupled with tough lips , the Giraffes out thought the Acacias!! 🦒 1-1🌳
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Evolution doesn’t stop!! Neither do Acacias!
Next, the trees started releasing a Tannin as soon as it saw a Giraffe feeding from them. Tannins taste awful and stop digestion! Within minutes of a 🦒 attack , the tannins were released !!
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What more! The Acacias went another step ahead and started passing the Tannin info via wind to trees nearby! So as soon as a giraffe arrived, all the trees in the area started releasing Tannin giving a preemptive attack on the Giraffe!!!!
🌳 2-1 🦒
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Nature never leaves anyone! So it gave Giraffes the next evolutionary step. Knowing that the tree starts secreting tannin within 10 mins@and passes downwind, the 🦒 started grazing only for few minutes on a tree & started moving upwind as trees there won’t have Tannin!!! 🤯
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One can’t just not admire such beauty of nature where it provides for everyone! And how evolution works in various ways!
It’s next move for Acacia trees! We will soon know in a few decades perhaps!
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