Sabrina Ginsburg
Period 9
In March of 2005, Natural History authors Laura Session and Steven Johnson wrote a descriptive literary article about the Moegistorhynchus longirostris also known as the mega-nosed fly. In this article, this particular sub-type of southern Africa fly was compared to the universally known fabled boy Pinocchio. The comparison was because both Pinocchio and this particular species of fly both have very long noses.
While the nose of this fly was overly extended and may have represented a significant disadvantage to its aerodynamic abilities, it was extremely useful to retrieving the sweet nectar within the longer flowers that are unreachable by other species of flies with shorter proboscises. The question of natural selection and why a flower would develop with such a long stem that would allow only flys with such long trunks mature can and should be asked. The answer to that question is not as obvious as one would think. The factors behind the evolution of two distinctly different species that rely so heavily on each other is remarkable. In fact, the idea of coevolution may, to some extent explain how otherwise inexplicable or peculiar physical anatomical presentations can possibly be explained in the absence of an adequate evolutionary response.
The evolution of these two species (which are co-dependent upon …show more content…
In his writings, he described the Malagasy orchid, which stores its nectar almost 12 inches into the flower, would require a pollinator with at least a 12-inch proboscis in order to reach this nourishment. Those animals with a sufficiently long proboscis would preferentially live long enough to reproduce offspring with equally long or longer proboscis. Therefore, the result would ultimately be the evolution of corresponding flowers and pollinators with appropriately lengthier
Period 9
In March of 2005, Natural History authors Laura Session and Steven Johnson wrote a descriptive literary article about the Moegistorhynchus longirostris also known as the mega-nosed fly. In this article, this particular sub-type of southern Africa fly was compared to the universally known fabled boy Pinocchio. The comparison was because both Pinocchio and this particular species of fly both have very long noses.
While the nose of this fly was overly extended and may have represented a significant disadvantage to its aerodynamic abilities, it was extremely useful to retrieving the sweet nectar within the longer flowers that are unreachable by other species of flies with shorter proboscises. The question of natural selection and why a flower would develop with such a long stem that would allow only flys with such long trunks mature can and should be asked. The answer to that question is not as obvious as one would think. The factors behind the evolution of two distinctly different species that rely so heavily on each other is remarkable. In fact, the idea of coevolution may, to some extent explain how otherwise inexplicable or peculiar physical anatomical presentations can possibly be explained in the absence of an adequate evolutionary response.
The evolution of these two species (which are co-dependent upon …show more content…
In his writings, he described the Malagasy orchid, which stores its nectar almost 12 inches into the flower, would require a pollinator with at least a 12-inch proboscis in order to reach this nourishment. Those animals with a sufficiently long proboscis would preferentially live long enough to reproduce offspring with equally long or longer proboscis. Therefore, the result would ultimately be the evolution of corresponding flowers and pollinators with appropriately lengthier