Greed in the Plant Kingdom

Angiosperms (flowering plants) are the current unit in Bio 122. I now have  a number to back up a concept I already knew: Most flowering species (approximately 80%) rely on a living agent to serve as pollinator. A mutualistic relationship is the norm, with insects or hummingbirds pollinating flowers in return for the reward of sweet nectar. These flowers tend to be brightly colored and sweet-smelling. Many of those dependent upon insects for pollination have markings (invisible to humans without ultraviolet light) known as “nectar guides” to indicate a direct route to the prize. My favorite flowers would all fall into this category. Artifice? Definitely. But also a quid pro quo.

Imagine my surprise to learn that just as the human world is rife with deceit driven by greed, so is the plant kingdom. Orchid lovers may be familiar with my first tale, but  it was news to me.

Tale Number One: Male wasps of the species Campsoscolia ciliata often attempt to copulate with the flowers of the Mediterranean orchid Ophrys speculum. During the encounter, a sac of pollen becomes glued to the insect’s body. In frustration, he heads off to another flower for a second try and there deposits the pollen. No reward. Just frustration and eventual exhaustion. Dozens of species of orchid engage in this form of sexual trickery. The Aragon region of Spain even promotes this subterfuge as a tourist attraction. The deception was long thought to be a purely visual one — the orange bristles around the flower’s largest petal apparently resemble the anatomy of the female wasp. The current belief, however, is that the flower emits a chemical scent similar to that of a sexually receptive female wasp. There are comprehensive treatises on the subject if you want to learn more.

Tale Number Two: Scent is also part of the equation for pollination by blow-flies (scavengers of carrion and dung, and layers of eggs, which hatch into maggots found in these materials.) Flowers attracting such pollinators are often reddish and fleshy and smell like decomposing flesh. While laying her eggs on such a flower, the female blow-fly becomes dusted with pollen that she then carries to another blossom. When her eggs eventually hatch, there is no meat to eat, and her offspring die! I wonder how bad these flowers smell. Has anyone ever planted them around a picnic area?

Pollination (plant sex) is all about survival. That’s a fact. Sometimes it involves two species with a mutual benefit, but oftentimes not. Just as the human world has Bernie Madoffs, it can be “all about me” in the plant world as well. Think about that the next time you admire an exotic orchid (or, depending on your taste, a flower that smells like a rotting corpse.) 

ENERGY STAR Explained

 
Phil saw his shadow. Pennsylvania is bracing for snow. It’s February, the month for “Presidents’ Day” appliance sales.

With Presidents’ Day around the corner, it seemed an appropriate time to explain ENERGY STAR ratings. ENERGY STAR was introduced by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) In 1992  as a voluntary labeling program designed to make it easy for consumers to “identify and purchase energy-efficient products that offer savings on energy bills without sacrificing performance, features, and comfort.” Computers and monitors were the first labeled products.

Since 1996, it has been a joint program with the US Department of Energy, and the list of rated products has expanded to include these categories: appliances, computers and electronics, heating and cooling, lighting and fans, plumbing, and building products (including roofing, windows, and insulation).

If you have an appliance over a decade old, chances are you will have significant savings on electricity and water usage if you purchase a new one wisely. And the sales are on!

If you decide to go shopping look for two things:
*  The ENERGY STAR label, awarded only to a product meeting ENERGY STAR specifications.
*  The yellow EnergyGuide label. This tells you how much energy it takes to operate the appliance. Use it to compare the energy use of similar models and estimate annual operating costs.

Many products are eligible for rebates. You can find the ones in your area by clicking your state on this map. With funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Connecticut consumers can get rebates on air conditioners, clothes washers, freezers, and refrigerators. These rebates are in addition to any offered by the manufacturer. If you are on the fence, check this out. Now may be a good time to buy.

Whether or not you shop, do check out the rest of the ENERGY STAR site. It contains a cornucopia of resources including an interactive tool for helping you save energy in your home, a do-It-yourself guide for sealing and insulating, a search area for information on products, and an array of educational materials for kids.

Winter has us in its grip, and we are using lots of energy. What better time to do all we can to save all we can?

Wave Goodbye to the Slow Train

On Saturday I rode Amtrak’s slowest train in the Northeast Corridor — one hour and 23 minutes to travel 60.5 miles (42.7 mph if you do the math.)

This route runs between New Haven, CT and Springfield, MA. There are no glamorous names for this route. The train is designated “Shuttle” if it is merely going back and forth, and “Northeast Regional” if you use this train to connect to one going somewhere else. It also connects New Haven to the state capital (Hartford) and to Windsor Locks, home of Bradley International Airport. Its daily schedule is not pegged to normal working hours, and the “station” in Windsor Locks is a platform adjacent to a commuter parking lot, with the airport nowhere in sight and no taxis waiting to shuttle passengers from train to plane. Despite its limitations, the route has many riders.

I use this train to rendezvous with my sister, who makes a detour off the Mass Pike to pick me up, so we can travel together to visit family near Boston. This multi-phase trip requires some planning and the cooperation of both the highway and train travel gods. But it usually works out.

For the first part of the trip, the train meanders along CT Route 5, a good-sized road which I often use for “local” business. I coast by many familiar landmarks, no faster than I would in my car, but with a view from the backside rather than the front. We pass through some woods and wetlands, but mostly behind the rear fences of once thriving manufacturing operations — foundries and factories, printing and chemical plants. Some are abandoned, some functioning; none appear new.

After Hartford the scenery is a little less urban. We chug alongside the Connecticut River and its chunks of floating ice, passing through woods and by small houses hugging the shore, slowly enough and close enough to catch a detailed glimpse into the lives of the people who live there. On a warmer day people would be out in their yards and kids would wave at the train.

This is all very nice, once in a while. If you have the luxury of time. If you can make the spotty service go your way. And as long as you make your connection if you are traveling long distance.

Currently, freight and passengers compete for service on the one track. The line is not electrified. The inadequacies have been acknowledged for years. Plans for improvement had been drawn up and then tabled.

But change is on the way. On January 12, the State of CT committed $26 million for design work. And on the 28th, Sen. Dodd announced that CT would receive $40 million in American Recovery and Reconstruction Act funding toward constructing the second track required for high-speed rail service between New Haven and Springfield.

With promised speeds of up 110 mph, residents along the route will have a viable option to travel to Bradley without a car, legislators and commuters will be able to commute to Hartford by train, and those living near Springfield will have a more practical way to connect to New Haven and points south.

The project will cost $880 million total, but things are finally moving.

WOW! 110 mph vs. 42.7 mph! Wave good-bye to the slow train.