Top 10 Reasons Why Plants Could Take Over the World
Okay, so plants probably won't be taking over the world anytime soon. But perhaps this list might make the idea seem slightly less crazy.I believe plants are taking over the world and am trying to find solutions to our problem.
That's actually a good thing. The more plants we have, the more we can fight climate change.
This can become rather bothersome if you're trying to grow a garden, but things get out of hand. (I speak from personal experience.)
Some weeds spend several years underground before surfacing. A meteor could hit the Earth and turn everything to dust. Five years later, hello little weed!
The Ginkgo plant has been around since the Jurassic period or earlier.
Some are poisonous, and some close in on themselves with even the slightest touch. If one type of tree is set on fire, its sap produces smoke which can blind people almost instantly.
And we're not just talking insects. Some have even begun to devour birds and mice.
Well, this is a bit of a stretch. A plant called Neomarica (aka the Walking Iris) has a long stem that grows flowers. In the midst of these flowers, new flower stalks grow that are disguised as leaves. As the original stem of the flower continues to grow, the new flower stalks weigh it down. When the new flower stalks touch the ground, they grow new roots into the ground, making it seem as if the plant took a step.
Well, we can call it semi-mobility, but this by no means is full locomotion. If plants do learn to walk, then heterotrophic beings will lose their significance altogether.
A plant called the Resurrection Fern can play dead during a drought. As soon as it has access to water, it springs back to life!
It should be noted that though plants do survive on sunlight and water, the thing that works against their survival options is their immobility.
Though if we are talking about creatures like Euglena and autotrophic microbes, then that's a different case.
Many plants can go an extremely long time without water too.
The Newcomers
Tobacco: I'll give the smokers lung cancer!
Deadly Nightshade: I'll kill the children!
Kudzu: I'll destroy their property!
Habanero: I'll pack a fiery punch for them!
Acacia: My pet ants will eat them alive!
Castor Bean: I'll kill the humans with a poisoned umbrella!
Plants rely on radiation for photosynthesis. It's just that some forms of radiation can cause cell damage and mutations in both animals and plants.
Pripyat is full of plants, even when there were high levels of radiation. So when a nuclear war happens... well, you know.