Post ArmAWUDRZwhBq4AGCe by robotistry@sciencemastodon.com
 (DIR) More posts by robotistry@sciencemastodon.com
 (DIR) Post #Arm5JtjosRLhSWUCKe by futurebird@sauropods.win
       2025-03-06T10:09:50Z
       
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       So, the people of South America domesticated Amaranth. But, then this already human-adapted plant was spread by birds over the ocean to Africa and Greece and even India. No wonder humans have such big heads. You find a new plant and it just sort of "fits" into your farming and living habits. (because other people you know nothing about have shaped it.)I guess this happens for animals too, like bees and butterflies. So maybe it doesn't explain human hubris as much as I think.
       
 (DIR) Post #Arm5SU9lMGCqj2iQd6 by SatinBrooch@mastodon.social
       2025-03-06T10:11:19Z
       
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       @futurebird Have you got a citation? It is a nice point though.
       
 (DIR) Post #Arm7YqsXzQDEqLpJUu by simon_lucy@mastodon.social
       2025-03-06T10:34:55Z
       
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       @futurebird Adaptability. When a species stops noticing something and just uses it. Threat. When it uses the resources it stopped noticing but depends upon so much it wiped it out.A joke but it's always useful to bring down one's own species to being just one of so many.
       
 (DIR) Post #ArmAWUDRZwhBq4AGCe by robotistry@sciencemastodon.com
       2025-03-06T11:08:04Z
       
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       @futurebird Or maybe we're just underestimating bee and butterfly hubris!
       
 (DIR) Post #ArmEubErWFHcO1a7CC by NatureMC@mastodon.online
       2025-03-06T11:57:14Z
       
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       @futurebird 1/2 Do you have a source for the bird hypothesis? Because if that were the case, we would be teaching people the wrong stuff in our cultural heritage centre in France.Here, Amaranthus cruentus is one of the oldest traditional food plants, anchored in folklore and even a day of the French Revolution calendar. The oldest written source is from 1544. We teach the introduction by colonisers who also brought plants to Africa. Plus a possible introduction by trade routes from Asia. We
       
 (DIR) Post #Arn1Cogb3Z6N6ZJ3M8 by NatureMC@mastodon.online
       2025-03-06T12:02:48Z
       
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       @futurebird 2/2 have also wild native amaranthus species: https://www.sauvagesdupoitou.com/rech/vous?p=31 so a parallel development could be a hypothesis (genetics had to prove it).But the combination of the written evidence and the dates of colonialism speak more in favour of the plundering variant (or seeds in boots/material). We have not yet been able to find any evidence before Columbus.Why could birds have started their work in the 16th century?
       
 (DIR) Post #Arn1CpVzySDbfzM6TY by futurebird@sauropods.win
       2025-03-06T20:58:25Z
       
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       @NatureMC I watched a youTube video that I'll try to dig up again. She did mention that there was still some controversy over this. I'm totally not the expert.
       
 (DIR) Post #AroCv2RIZoqx9hOquG by NatureMC@mastodon.online
       2025-03-07T10:44:19Z
       
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       @futurebird Thanks! If you can't find it, no problem, we continue to teach what we do when there's controversy about the hypothesis.Meanwhile we have a new problem in Europe: Invasive amaranth plants (not the fine edible ones) coming from the USA (super robust thanks to the farmers' Roundup) via containers and aeroplanes. The birds became jobless.😉
       
 (DIR) Post #AroFUNucvrF3nS6GfY by NatureMC@mastodon.online
       2025-03-07T10:47:18Z
       
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       @EricLawton The 19th century was a high of colonialism and collecting seeds, fruits, plants, and animals around the globe.@futurebird
       
 (DIR) Post #AroFUPHhpXIU3JuDHU by futurebird@sauropods.win
       2025-03-07T11:13:11Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       @NatureMC @EricLawton Like pokemon. I really think that if a species was named in that period and never really studied or well described it ought to be fair game to get a new binomial. There ought to be a little more than being "first" to getting to name living things. Specifically? There should be at least one behavioral paper written from *observations* of the creature where that author chooses to use the name again. Ideally there should also be a local history paper too.
       
 (DIR) Post #ArojzwEmMMhzr7UK4O by futurebird@sauropods.win
       2025-03-07T16:55:02Z
       
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       @EricLawton @NatureMC  Well the point would be that this applies to names used for the holotype and little else.