| The Wisdom of Gory Galls !! | (
Infected plant below: Ficus variegata ) |
| Have
you ever seen tumour-like growths on the leaves of plants ? Gory looking,
right ? Well, fear not. They are really harmless. You cannot catch skin diseases from them. In fact, these lumpy growths, called galls, are chemically-engineered homes built by some insects to house their young. During the process of innoculating the leaf tissue with its egg, the insect also injects into it bio-chemicals that rapidly induce the plant's hormonal system to produce the gall. It just goes to show that the human species is not the first one to become successful genetic engineers; insects such as the humble fruitflies are ! The gall thus formed keeps the egg protected deep within its fleshy tissue |
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And what does the 'young and restless' do next? Well, it is quite obvious. They fly off most eagerly in search of exotic food to eat and erotic partners to mate ! And sooner than not, it is their turn to make galls too... grow old and die ! Such is the wonder of the circle of life !!
Galls are not necessarily form by insects though. Distorted growth comes in all shapes and sizes, and can be induced to form on a normal healthy plant by a whole range of factors such as internal genetic disruption, fungal attack, environmental conditions (cold or drought) and chemical influences. There is a branch of science called teratology, which is devoted to the studies of atypical development of novel plant structures. It literally means 'the study of monsters'!
Should you encounter galls on your next walk through our fabulous rain forest, look at them through the window of wisdom. The potential good which lies in all things natural is there for us to reap if we know how to use it wisely. Obscure science like teratology may one day offer us a simple tool that can turn living tree trunks into giant breathing 'gall-houses' or 'baobab-houses' that photosynthesize, reduce greenhouse effect and improve air quality all at once.
Imagine the enormous good it does for poor nations where basic housing is a problem ! The poor man just need to plant a native tree on the spot he wants his home to be, waits a little while for it to grow, and then innoculates it with the all-important 'Miracle Syringe'. Wow, when that happens, all of humanity should celebrate plant science, and mark it as the International Tree Day !! It would be quite novel to live like innovative insects, right?
But alas, the human species has always been a super virus of violence and vanity throughout our short evolutionary history on earth. If there is such a tool, it might very well fall into the hands of the war-monger or the cosmetic surgeon. Even as I write, countless of people are dying and forests are cut most mercilessly. Where is hope ?