The Role of Materialism in Evolution

Here’s another secret: materialism, consumerism, and waste are catalysts for teamwork and integration, serving as the foundation for evolutionary breakthroughs. This is where the extraordinary adaptations of plants come into play.

Imagine being a plant 100 million years ago, struggling for sunlight against encroaching trees and competing for pollen with insects. To overcome this challenge, you would need to take an unconventional route. You would need to disrupt the existing balance and recruit a different species. This is akin to what economist Adam Smith termed the specialization of labor. In this case, you would entice, capture, and enlist the aid of insects.

To achieve this, you must think outside the box—indeed, outside multiple boxes. You would leverage what evolutionary theorist Stephen Jay Gould referred to as "exaptation," where a trait developed for one purpose is repurposed for an entirely different function.

You possess the genetic framework for creating leaves, but instead, you repurpose those solar-collecting genes to craft something novel—something that at first appears extravagant and wasteful. This creation, while visually appealing, lacks practical utility. It resembles a leaf, complete with veins, yet it serves no significant function. Like a fleeting consumerist item, it is discarded after a short time, littering the landscape. But what value does this ostentation hold? It serves to attract attention, persuade, and recruit.

This leads us to a vital question: what’s the point of attracting insects that might exploit your resources? Wouldn't it be simpler to repel them? Yet, perhaps the universe favors complexity and integration, pushing towards greater order rather than chaos.

The Art of Seduction

So, how do these new relationships form? By utilizing the Swiss Army knife effect and exaptation, you can repurpose chemical pathways to create not just colors but also alluring scents. For ages, plants have employed aromas to deter herbivores and coordinate defense strategies within their communities.

For instance, when afflicted by a virus, plants emit volatile compounds to alert nearby flora, preparing them for defense. Conversely, a molecule that unlocks another organism's motivations can be utilized for attraction, leading to the creation of captivating scents.

Consider the potential: you can blend chemicals to mimic enticing aromas, such as the scent of decaying flesh to lure flies, or even replicate the pheromones of female insects to initiate mating rituals—essentially creating "insect pornography."

The evolution of scent production proves so beneficial that plants like orchids can eventually develop up to a hundred distinct fragrances, but that’s a story for another time.

Harnessing Resources Creatively

While addressing your challenges, why not also capitalize on your own waste? The sugary exudates you produce, like sap, can be transformed into enticing rewards for insects. By enhancing these liquids with sugars and nutrients, you can turn waste into a powerful recruitment tool.

According to Conrad Labandeira from the National Museum of Natural History, this strategic repurposing of waste can be seen as a “bribe”—a sweet nectar that even the gods are said to have enjoyed. In this way, you have ingeniously created nectar, but that’s just the beginning.

References: - Stephen Montgomery, “Flowers,” Charles Darwin & Evolution, Christ’s College, Cambridge. - Gould, Stephen Jay; Vrba, Elisabeth S. (1982). “Exaptation — a missing term in the science of form.” Paleobiology. - William Agosta, Thieves, Deceivers, and Killers: Tales of Chemistry in Nature. - Massimo Nepi, Patrick von Aderkas, and Ettore Pacini, Sugary Exudates in Plant Pollination.