Plants in the Late Holocene
Shortly, plants will evolve rapidly to use humans as their pollinators.
Human beings will become a part of the natural ecosystem while looking for sustainable ways to live together in harmony. This project will present a design and idea of how men and plants will interact hereafter.
In the not-so-distant future, environmental changes will throw ecology out of balance. The natural pollinators of flowering plants will disappear and become extinct. As reproductive mechanisms evolve, plants will see men as their primary pollinators and new allies on Earth, and change their shapes, structures, and functions to approach human life.
Scientists predicted that by the year 2100 AD, most lands on Earth will be uninhabitable. The stability of the Holocene is affected by the threat of an environmental crisis, forcing humans to reintegrate into the ecosystem while looking for a stable and sustainable lifestyle.
The Reproductive Mechanism that Changes through Evolution
According to academic resources, the reproductive mechanism of plants changes through evolution, with the pollination of flowering plants being the most exciting and diverse case. Looking at the changes in plant pollination, we can see that ancient gymnosperms were primarily wind-pollinated. Meanwhile, most modern angiosperms rely on animals and insects as mediators. This process may seem slow, but for the survival and expansion of genes, the way plants pollinate has, in fact, transformed to increase efficiency and seed setting rate.
In the modern world, the number of primary pollinators of flowering plants, such as bees and butterflies, is drastically shrinking due to various environmental factors. The ecosystem of these plants will be affected directly without the spread and pollination of such creatures. Will these plants' strong will for survival lead them to evolve and entrust their pollination process to humans?
Humans Becoming the Pollinators of Plants
In the Late Holocene, flowering plants will have changed their shapes, structures, and functions through evolution to adapt to human life. One of the best examples to understand these fundamental changes is the inflorescence of plants of the Thaumatophyllum genus, such as philodendron. This species heats up at night, forming a breeding ground for insects to reproduce while attaching them to pollen to complete the first step in pollination.
In the future, the release of methane, the rising concentration of carbon dioxide, and a large amount of polluting gasses, such as hydrogen sulfide, will form a strong magnetic field. Under the catalysis of this environment, flowering plants will evolve gradually to larger sizes; when they mature, they will form pot- shaped containers, providing humans with havens for resting and sleeping. Meanwhile, the flowers will be attaching pollen to people. Men will fill in the roles of the original insect pollinators when they move elsewhere and spread the pollen of the plants. Although the fruits formed by successfully pollinated flowers are edible, these plants still have fixed lifespans, forcing humans to find others while bringing the seeds along. Hence, planting more flowers will also become a huge motivation for people to spread the seeds.
Green Apartments
The plants that sized up through evolution will regard humans and small mammals as new pollinators, who will be given shade and complete pollination indirectly, harboring a coexistence. In different ecological environments, apartments will have also developed into three types of residences, suitable for high ground, flat ground, and horizontal planes.
Pollen Highway
The plants growing on the sides of highways will achieve cross-pollination when vehicles pass by. According to the law, all types of transportation must be equipped with a furry exterior that can attach pollen particles, similar to insects.
Pollen Capsules
It has already been discovered that phytoplankton can absorb marine pollutants (e.g., trichloroethylene) and convert, or in other words, decompose them into chlorine, carbon dioxide, and water. In the future, the enlarged pollen particles of these giant plants will evolve and have similar functions, entering organisms to become a part of cleaning or filtering, excreting through the digestive system, and then spreading to other places via water. This will be a new form of symbiosis between humans and plants.
Pollen Masks
To prevent the damage caused by the large pollen grains overblew by the wind in this reconstructed ecology, people have developed masks for self-protection.
Moss Ball Parks
Having to lose the conditions for fertilization and reproduction through waterways, the bryophytes will strengthen their reproductive ability of germ regenerating. They will evolve from being attached to tree trunks and rocks to forming softballs by themselves, which is more conducive for rolling. They will achieve asexual reproduction from the occasional organic material dropped by humans and become a must-have plant for most home gardens and parks.
Moss Ball Parks
Toxic pollution can cause irreversible harm to human beings, yet plants have the ability to digest these poisons to purify soil and water. Biotechnology is the solution to many problems; nevertheless, its auspicious potential may not be fully discovered before it disappears. Perhaps we can prevent these environmental impacts by start imagining ways to restore this planet to its former glory.
In the past, nearly 10,000 years ago, hunting, gathering, and interdependence with nature were humankind’s only options. Now, we are searching for a new sustainable way of living; reintegrating into the natural world seems to be an inevitable future. The existence of humans will be the alternative plan for plant reproduction, giving a whole new meaning to the presence of plants.
