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| Hothouse; Fall of animals, rise of plants | |
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| Topic Started: Jun 11 2010, 06:57 PM (2,026 Views) | |
| Scrublord | Jun 11 2010, 06:57 PM Post #1 |
Father Pellegrini
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This was an odd little novel written in 1962 that may actually have been one of the first real works of speculative biology out there. Basically, the premise is that millions of years in the future, plants have somehow evolved the ability to move around like animals, and are competing with them. There are only a few species of mammals left, including a very tiny posthuman. Here's a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hothouse_(novel) Edited by Pandorasaurus, Jun 11 2010, 09:25 PM.
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My Projects: The Neozoic Redux Valhalla--Take Three! The Big One Deviantart Account: http://elsqiubbonator.deviantart.com In the end, the best advice I could give you would be to do your project in a way that feels natural to you, rather than trying to imitate some geek with a laptop in Colorado. --Heteromorph | |
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| ATEK Azul | Jun 17 2010, 02:57 PM Post #46 |
Transhuman
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We have a topic some where that talks about that slug if you look. Also I'm glad my idea sparked interest. As for gene stealing couldn't the fungus steal animal genes and plant genes enabling them evolve into animal like forms capable of movement and photosynthesis? |
| I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's! | |
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| Ddraig Goch | Jun 17 2010, 03:18 PM Post #47 |
Ar hyd y nos
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Perhaps plants could "take over the world" by actively attacking animals. They needn't neccessarily be carnivorous to do this. The Aweto, from New Zealand and China, is formed when a parasitic fungus attaches itself to a caterpillar, which then slowly dies as the sporophore takes over, until the caterpillar basically becomes a small "plant". Obviously, this is done by fungi, so it's not quite the same, but if plants developed such a mechanism, on a large scale, then they could actually (theoretically) cause extinctions amongst animal species. This could even lead to a bizarre world where plants and animals form symbioses in which they are physically attached to each other. |
| Save the Blibbering Humdinger from extinction! | |
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| Holben | Jun 17 2010, 03:22 PM Post #48 |
Rumbo a la Victoria
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Well animals will always die a short time after being hijacked, and the complexity of brains makes hijacking complex enough to require a form of intelligence/something resembling intelligence to manipulate. |
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Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| MitchBeard | Jun 18 2010, 11:05 PM Post #49 |
proud gondwanan
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I've always wondered why there aren't any plants that are parasitic onto animals. There are heaps of plants that are parasitic onto plants, and there are heaps of plants that require animals digestive system to scarify the their seed. |
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| Holben | Jun 19 2010, 03:55 AM Post #50 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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Complexity, variation and access are my guesses. |
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Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| MitchBeard | Jun 19 2010, 06:06 AM Post #51 |
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proud gondwanan
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Plants and fungus are at least as chemically complex as animals, if not moreso. Access isn't a problem at all. The amount of seeds that go through the digestive tracts of animals around the world is ridiculous. |
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| Holben | Jun 19 2010, 08:43 AM Post #52 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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Access to the nervous system is the important thing. They can't get to it. Maybe as chemically complex, but not as complex in structure and system. |
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Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| MitchBeard | Jun 19 2010, 10:10 AM Post #53 |
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proud gondwanan
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I'm not talking about hijacking the animal. I'm just talking about using it to get everything its nutritional needs. You'd be able to hijack the animal host with hormones anyway by the way. There are countless cases of animal parasites using hormones to hack into their host and change their behaviour in a way that increases the chances of the parasites successful dispersion. And don't say that plants can't produce animal hormones either, because are famous for mimicking bees and flies, right down to the sex pheromones. |
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| Holben | Jun 19 2010, 03:58 PM Post #54 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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Mauybe, but hormones don't control a human's or any other mammal's behaviour fully. Stuff me full of dopamine and i'll still have some self control. Plus, hormones are environment-dependent on their effects. |
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Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| MitchBeard | Jun 19 2010, 10:05 PM Post #55 |
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proud gondwanan
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You'd be surprised what hormones can do, and did I ever say mammal? |
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| Holben | Jun 20 2010, 03:50 AM Post #56 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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No, but i know more mammals personally than any other creature. Stick with what ya know and all that. I'm not surprised, as i have myself suffered from hormone imbalances. They aren't a control method. |
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Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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