Lovely piece, and fascinating research. It's a bit chilling to see that the pansies are managing to reproduce but in the process of dong without insects, are making themselves inhospitable to them so that it'll become a vicious cycle. "Selfing" is such a telling word - can't help thinking it reflects the current state of humans--more alone, less in-person community. In any case, it's good to draw attention to the importance of insects in our world. Thank you.
Thanks, Celine. There are indeed some interesting parallels to humans (weighty and comical alike). I thought about going there in the post, but it was getting long enough. I'll be interested in seeing more research before we might say that this vicious cycle is something to worry about. For now, I'll still be focusing on the most proximate threats to nature: habitat destruction owing to how humans eat, buy stuff, heat and cool our homes and generally power our lives. And let's still find time to enjoy those flowers!
I'm saying this only half humorously: perhaps we could solve both the pollinators' and the flowers' problems by breeding poisonous flowers and seriously venemous pollinators! But we won't do that because would be the victims. We'll throw most of the world's species under the proverbial bus, so long as we're not the victims. That's our problem- we'll be the last species standing alrighty but then we'll go to. Sometimes it seems we're too stupid to be an apex species!
Maybe the last apes standing, then we'll finally blink out, even as the dragonflies and liverworts and flowering plants live on! Come to think of it, now there's a writing topic for you, Michael: the reasonably expected temporal range of Homo sapiens. What say ye?
I've written on it already. Several times in fact! My idea is that with the extremely rapid rise of biotech, conjoined with the onlining of AI (not AGI) assistance, we won't last long. We might optimize ourselves and modify ourselves to live in a possibly increasingly inhospitable planet and after the collapse of our agriculture, we might flee the place altogether, no longer technically Homo Sapiens. I estimated in my stories about 1,000 years for the whole process to play out. It was all pure speculation, but fun to write!
Oh, you know, after I posted that note I said to myself, "I'll bet he's already written on this." 😀 I'll head over to Lux Umbra Dei for some reading. (Like everyone, of course, I'm overloaded with worthy reading -- I wish I wasn't such a glacial-slow reader and revision-obsessed writer.)
I wish I were more proofreading obsessed! If I had a quarter for all the typos I've published, why maybe I could afford a pair of prescription eyeglasses!
Oh, MAN, your photo of the bumblebee is beyond gorgeous, with both hind end and a wing in focus. I'm eagerly awaiting spring and the first blooms of Viola pedatifida that I planted fall before last. And yeah, my heart is breaking over the shrinking of flowers. It is so very odd to live at this precise moment of time, with maximum access to the diversity of nature and maximum exposure to its loss.
Oh, and Prum! His book The Evolution of Beauty is my favorite book ever, truly, my very favorite, and he's your pal. Wow.
Thanks, Diane. (Lucky shot! 😉). This was indeed a cool and cautious paper, with what appears to be solid methods and reasonable conclusions. Let's wait and see how all this pans out with more research; it's indeed something to watch. (And our mutual friend Mary is oh so wonderful!)
Fascinatig !!! So, evolution can be done in a very short time, not necessairelt 1000 years or more. C'esr remarquable. Je fais suivre ce magnifique texte au forum Images-et-mots qui regroupe des personnes très intéressées par la nature, surtout en France. Bravo Bryan ! / Michel Bertrand, from Québec.
Perfect in every way, from the clever title to the stunning photos. Pfeiffer's clear and witty description of the relationship between pollinators and flowers reads like a novel. Chasing Nature is a reliable source of beauty and food for thought! Thanks, Bryan.
So very kind of you, Heather. Thanks. Sooner or later, maybe after lots of reading, I'll write on whether this 100-million-year-plus flower-insect fling is a form of inter-kingdom sexual selection. I suspect it's controversial -- and I'm so far leaning bigtime into the yes camp.
Beautiful. I really enjoyed this piece. I’ve been thinking a lot about how important it is for writers to do the hard work of translating science-speak into compelling narrative so this kind of information does not just fade away. You’ve done that here; it’s appreciated. Also been thinking a lot about the loss of “ways of interacting” -- aka cultural knowledge -- when we drive species toward extinction. If we keep this up, will the pansy and the bee (as species) someday “forget” that they were once partners?
Thanks, Rebecca. The classic essay on this "way of interacting" is Robert Michael Pyle's "Extinction of Meaning." To this day, it remains a guiding force in my writing and thinking life.
Bryan, I'm intrigued to read Pyle's essay after your recommendation here. I'm guessing it's in the recent collection of Pyle's essays, Nature Matrix? FYI, it looks like the title is "Extinction of Experience."
Nature is sexy and rough as it meets the needs of the day. We are in a time of change. Compassion and appreciation of the other should rule. We can choose. Your writing makes for easy to understand yet it challenges the reader. Thank you.
Thanks for writing about this. Probably, the biggest problem with "selfing" is lack of genetic diversity and opportunity for mutations. But then, it also just seems lonely, staying home taking care of oneself, instead of going out in your prettiest outfit, and boogying with bugs for fun.
You're so right. We can't seem to get out of our own way. Such a funny idea that we are too stupid as a species to be in an an apex position. That needs some thought!
This interaction right here is the reason behind my conservation efforts at the Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm here in Maine!!!
I began beekeeping in 2010 to increase pollination for my market-garden. Once I brought home that first colony, I became fascinated with the interaction between plants and their insect pollinators. Obsessed really.
A decade of study, community service as the President of the Somerset County Beekeepers’ Association, teaching bee-schools and more, led me even further down the rabbit hole. I still keep bees, still entranced by that flower-pollinator relationship, and my conservation efforts focus on--not just pollinators and beneficial insects, but also soil-dwellinh invertebrates, microbial life and fungi. All these keystone species that enable plant-life to really thrive and flourish.
These relationships are crucial to any habitat and by promoting their well-being, we can promote the health and well-being of the entire habitat.
I'm so thrilled you've taken the time to notice, appreciate and write about these important creatures!
Looking forward to what you find and write on this, Samantha. Here in Vermont, we're paying tons of attention now to native bees. I suspect that Maine, where I myself have worked on invertebrates, isn't far behind!
So fascinating! I especially love hearing about how flowers are adapting so quickly to these changes (although I am not happy about the changes and need to adapt or how for that matter!). We don’t usually think about plants evolving that fast, so stories like this remind us of their importance in the ecosystem and the deep ways they reflect and shape our natural world. And a good reminder that we need to appreciate the insects more!
Insects may be on the decline, but I have heard that hummingbirds are responsible for the beauty and variety of tropical flowers which evolved in tandem. In order to compete for hummingbird attention (and incidental to the hummingbird, plant reproduction) plants produced ever more showy and various flowers. And, oh my, the beauty of tropical hummingbirds! The Purple Fairy!
So if course we need insects, but wouldn’t cha know the birds will save us?
Thanks, Charlotte. Yep, hummingbirds and tropical plants share a coevolutionary history. But do note that insects were on the scene (and flying!) at least 150 million years before Archaeopteryx. They really helped drive the Angiosperm explosion that accounts for so much plant diversity. I'm so grateful for hummingbirds, especially in the tropics (their ancestral home) and crazy beautiful tropical flowers. And I'm most grateful that insects, as E.O. Wilson said, are the "little things than run the world." 😀
For writing in a way that is not pedantic but is interesting, erudite, sensitive, and engaging.
For caring about much that is 'small', 'common', and oft-ignored.
For writing 'introduced species' instead of 'invasive species'. That last bit is one of my pet peeves about the world of conservation and something I've started writing about for my next piece.
Nice essay Bryan but before we despair too much about the loss of insects and the beautiful flowers they pollinate, as you and Carl both point out, this study was on just one species and other plants like the morning glory might evolve differently in response to the decline in certain insect populations. Plus good insect pollinators, such as flower flies, may take up the slack due to the decline of more sensitive species like bees. There's evidence that these flower flies are not declining as much as bees and they certainly are abundant in my garden! Nature is often more resilient than we give it credit for!
Thanks, Margie. Yeah, you're reiterating a point that I might not have stressed enough in my essay. This is not about doom and gloom among the blooms (sorry 😝), at least not yet. I'm no botanist, and I don't know how well the research was reviewed, but the methods seemed sound and the data interpretation measured and cautious enough. (I do have a lot to say about how studies like this one -- but not necessarily this one -- get portrayed in the news media, a kind of selection by way of alarm and speculation. As a former journalist, maybe I'll write about that as well.) Even so, yeah, for generalist plants, with lots of pollinators, I take your point on other insects taking up the slack (although overall decline in insect abundance, including of common species, is a huge concern). Among specialists, that is indeed worrisome (and we're not even talking yet about combing all this with the temporal mismatch owing to global heating). More to write about ....!
Lovely piece, and fascinating research. It's a bit chilling to see that the pansies are managing to reproduce but in the process of dong without insects, are making themselves inhospitable to them so that it'll become a vicious cycle. "Selfing" is such a telling word - can't help thinking it reflects the current state of humans--more alone, less in-person community. In any case, it's good to draw attention to the importance of insects in our world. Thank you.
Thanks, Celine. There are indeed some interesting parallels to humans (weighty and comical alike). I thought about going there in the post, but it was getting long enough. I'll be interested in seeing more research before we might say that this vicious cycle is something to worry about. For now, I'll still be focusing on the most proximate threats to nature: habitat destruction owing to how humans eat, buy stuff, heat and cool our homes and generally power our lives. And let's still find time to enjoy those flowers!
I'm saying this only half humorously: perhaps we could solve both the pollinators' and the flowers' problems by breeding poisonous flowers and seriously venemous pollinators! But we won't do that because would be the victims. We'll throw most of the world's species under the proverbial bus, so long as we're not the victims. That's our problem- we'll be the last species standing alrighty but then we'll go to. Sometimes it seems we're too stupid to be an apex species!
Maybe the last apes standing, then we'll finally blink out, even as the dragonflies and liverworts and flowering plants live on! Come to think of it, now there's a writing topic for you, Michael: the reasonably expected temporal range of Homo sapiens. What say ye?
I've written on it already. Several times in fact! My idea is that with the extremely rapid rise of biotech, conjoined with the onlining of AI (not AGI) assistance, we won't last long. We might optimize ourselves and modify ourselves to live in a possibly increasingly inhospitable planet and after the collapse of our agriculture, we might flee the place altogether, no longer technically Homo Sapiens. I estimated in my stories about 1,000 years for the whole process to play out. It was all pure speculation, but fun to write!
Oh, you know, after I posted that note I said to myself, "I'll bet he's already written on this." 😀 I'll head over to Lux Umbra Dei for some reading. (Like everyone, of course, I'm overloaded with worthy reading -- I wish I wasn't such a glacial-slow reader and revision-obsessed writer.)
I wish I were more proofreading obsessed! If I had a quarter for all the typos I've published, why maybe I could afford a pair of prescription eyeglasses!
Ha! I'm also so damned good at typos. (And I covet my bifocals.)
Oh, MAN, your photo of the bumblebee is beyond gorgeous, with both hind end and a wing in focus. I'm eagerly awaiting spring and the first blooms of Viola pedatifida that I planted fall before last. And yeah, my heart is breaking over the shrinking of flowers. It is so very odd to live at this precise moment of time, with maximum access to the diversity of nature and maximum exposure to its loss.
Oh, and Prum! His book The Evolution of Beauty is my favorite book ever, truly, my very favorite, and he's your pal. Wow.
Thanks, Diane. (Lucky shot! 😉). This was indeed a cool and cautious paper, with what appears to be solid methods and reasonable conclusions. Let's wait and see how all this pans out with more research; it's indeed something to watch. (And our mutual friend Mary is oh so wonderful!)
Fascinatig !!! So, evolution can be done in a very short time, not necessairelt 1000 years or more. C'esr remarquable. Je fais suivre ce magnifique texte au forum Images-et-mots qui regroupe des personnes très intéressées par la nature, surtout en France. Bravo Bryan ! / Michel Bertrand, from Québec.
Merci Michel!
The best book I've read on rapid evolution (and I'm sure there have been other since) is Jonathan Weiner's "The Beak of the Finch" -- a classic.
Perfect in every way, from the clever title to the stunning photos. Pfeiffer's clear and witty description of the relationship between pollinators and flowers reads like a novel. Chasing Nature is a reliable source of beauty and food for thought! Thanks, Bryan.
So very kind of you, Heather. Thanks. Sooner or later, maybe after lots of reading, I'll write on whether this 100-million-year-plus flower-insect fling is a form of inter-kingdom sexual selection. I suspect it's controversial -- and I'm so far leaning bigtime into the yes camp.
Beautiful. I really enjoyed this piece. I’ve been thinking a lot about how important it is for writers to do the hard work of translating science-speak into compelling narrative so this kind of information does not just fade away. You’ve done that here; it’s appreciated. Also been thinking a lot about the loss of “ways of interacting” -- aka cultural knowledge -- when we drive species toward extinction. If we keep this up, will the pansy and the bee (as species) someday “forget” that they were once partners?
Thanks, Rebecca. The classic essay on this "way of interacting" is Robert Michael Pyle's "Extinction of Meaning." To this day, it remains a guiding force in my writing and thinking life.
Great, thank you for the reference. I’ll get a copy
Correction: "Extinction of Experience" (not of "Meaning"). It's in Pyle book The Thunder Tree.
Bryan, I'm intrigued to read Pyle's essay after your recommendation here. I'm guessing it's in the recent collection of Pyle's essays, Nature Matrix? FYI, it looks like the title is "Extinction of Experience."
For anyone interested in reading your previous writing on the subject, I found your excellent essay, "Extinction of Meaning," on Medium and on your site: https://bryanpfeiffer.com/2019/08/15/endangered-species-and-the-extinction-of-meaning/. (I wish I'd seen this while writing about the ESA...)
Oops! Yeah, “Extinction of Experience.” It’s in Pyle’s book The Thunder Tree.
... and maybe I'll update and repost that essay on Chasing Nature. Thanks for reminding me of it, Jason! 🙏
That would be great, Brian. It's excellent work.
I second Jason's suggestion. :) I'd definitely get a lot from that.
Nature is sexy and rough as it meets the needs of the day. We are in a time of change. Compassion and appreciation of the other should rule. We can choose. Your writing makes for easy to understand yet it challenges the reader. Thank you.
I'm so glad you're here sharing it with us, Sue!
Bryan,
Thanks for writing about this. Probably, the biggest problem with "selfing" is lack of genetic diversity and opportunity for mutations. But then, it also just seems lonely, staying home taking care of oneself, instead of going out in your prettiest outfit, and boogying with bugs for fun.
Ha! Yeah, I was going to run with some of the human parallels. (They showed up in the comments beneath Zimmer's NYTimes piece.)
You're so right. We can't seem to get out of our own way. Such a funny idea that we are too stupid as a species to be in an an apex position. That needs some thought!
Again and again you offer us common sense and magic, science and lore dancing in the same celebrations. What a treat to sit in your classroom.
I hope to continue being worthy of praise from you there in the upper echelons of intellect and creativity (and fun).
O.M.G. @Bryan Pfeiffer THIS
This interaction right here is the reason behind my conservation efforts at the Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm here in Maine!!!
I began beekeeping in 2010 to increase pollination for my market-garden. Once I brought home that first colony, I became fascinated with the interaction between plants and their insect pollinators. Obsessed really.
A decade of study, community service as the President of the Somerset County Beekeepers’ Association, teaching bee-schools and more, led me even further down the rabbit hole. I still keep bees, still entranced by that flower-pollinator relationship, and my conservation efforts focus on--not just pollinators and beneficial insects, but also soil-dwellinh invertebrates, microbial life and fungi. All these keystone species that enable plant-life to really thrive and flourish.
These relationships are crucial to any habitat and by promoting their well-being, we can promote the health and well-being of the entire habitat.
I'm so thrilled you've taken the time to notice, appreciate and write about these important creatures!
Looking forward to what you find and write on this, Samantha. Here in Vermont, we're paying tons of attention now to native bees. I suspect that Maine, where I myself have worked on invertebrates, isn't far behind!
https://val.vtecostudies.org/projects/vtbees/
So fascinating! I especially love hearing about how flowers are adapting so quickly to these changes (although I am not happy about the changes and need to adapt or how for that matter!). We don’t usually think about plants evolving that fast, so stories like this remind us of their importance in the ecosystem and the deep ways they reflect and shape our natural world. And a good reminder that we need to appreciate the insects more!
Insects may be on the decline, but I have heard that hummingbirds are responsible for the beauty and variety of tropical flowers which evolved in tandem. In order to compete for hummingbird attention (and incidental to the hummingbird, plant reproduction) plants produced ever more showy and various flowers. And, oh my, the beauty of tropical hummingbirds! The Purple Fairy!
So if course we need insects, but wouldn’t cha know the birds will save us?
Thanks, Charlotte. Yep, hummingbirds and tropical plants share a coevolutionary history. But do note that insects were on the scene (and flying!) at least 150 million years before Archaeopteryx. They really helped drive the Angiosperm explosion that accounts for so much plant diversity. I'm so grateful for hummingbirds, especially in the tropics (their ancestral home) and crazy beautiful tropical flowers. And I'm most grateful that insects, as E.O. Wilson said, are the "little things than run the world." 😀
Many thank-yous, Bryan 🙏🏽
For writing in a way that is not pedantic but is interesting, erudite, sensitive, and engaging.
For caring about much that is 'small', 'common', and oft-ignored.
For writing 'introduced species' instead of 'invasive species'. That last bit is one of my pet peeves about the world of conservation and something I've started writing about for my next piece.
Aw, shucks -- thanks for the banter! Very kind of you. And here's to the small stuff!
Nice essay Bryan but before we despair too much about the loss of insects and the beautiful flowers they pollinate, as you and Carl both point out, this study was on just one species and other plants like the morning glory might evolve differently in response to the decline in certain insect populations. Plus good insect pollinators, such as flower flies, may take up the slack due to the decline of more sensitive species like bees. There's evidence that these flower flies are not declining as much as bees and they certainly are abundant in my garden! Nature is often more resilient than we give it credit for!
Thanks, Margie. Yeah, you're reiterating a point that I might not have stressed enough in my essay. This is not about doom and gloom among the blooms (sorry 😝), at least not yet. I'm no botanist, and I don't know how well the research was reviewed, but the methods seemed sound and the data interpretation measured and cautious enough. (I do have a lot to say about how studies like this one -- but not necessarily this one -- get portrayed in the news media, a kind of selection by way of alarm and speculation. As a former journalist, maybe I'll write about that as well.) Even so, yeah, for generalist plants, with lots of pollinators, I take your point on other insects taking up the slack (although overall decline in insect abundance, including of common species, is a huge concern). Among specialists, that is indeed worrisome (and we're not even talking yet about combing all this with the temporal mismatch owing to global heating). More to write about ....!