Flowers Are Changing Colour To Save Pollen From Global Warming, Ozone Depletion
Just like the animal kingdom, plants adapt to the changing climate of the Earth. A new research shows the latest way in which they do so – by altering ultraviolet (UV) pigments in their petals. This means that the plants are essentially changing their colours in response to the climate change.
The researchers found that over the past 75 years, flowers have evolved to alter the ultraviolet (UV) pigments in their petals in response to the rising temperatures as well as the declining ozone layer of the Earth.
Flowers’ UV pigments are invisible to the human eye, but they attract pollinators and serve as a kind of sunscreen for plants. Just as UV radiation is harmful to humans, it also poses a threat to a flower’s pollen. Thus, plants tend to use UV-absorbing pigment in the petals to reduce the harmful radiation from reaching its sensitive cells.
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