Friday 30 July 2021

Evolutionary theory and the WFT beard...


I woke up all worried early yesterday morning, concerned I didn't yet have anything sorted out for this week's Nature Friday. 

Gail seemed uncharacteristically reluctant to rouse herself, so I asked to be let out into the back garden.

Can you believe that when I came back inside and jumped on her bed a few minutes later, sporting the perfect Nature Friday material about my person, my owner seemed unimpressed...

Until, that is, I reminded her how Charles Darwin had long ago recognised that animals and birds carrying seeds in their furs and feathers were an important means by which different plant species are dispersed around the globe, and these ideas on species distribution formed a key building block in Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. I can only surmise that the great man omitted to cite the particular case of wire-haired fox terrier beards introducing plant seeds into new environments (such as human bedding) due to his need to publish 'The Origin of Species' ahead of his rival evolutionary theorist, Alfred Russel Wallace.

Happy Nature Friday friends! And huge thanks once again to our dear friends Rosy, Arty, Jakey and Sunny, for hosting our favourite blog hop.


15 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    Good morning Bertie lad - and well done on helping Gail focus on the impawtant matter of NF posts! (Sticklers in the sheets are certainly a major prompt...) Hugs and wags, YAM-aunty xxx

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  2. Ouch Bertie - I do hope Gail was gentle getting all those seeds out?

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  3. bear grooming is hard to bear for a wft.... it was the only part what made our wft mad... we always drew a stick who has to do that job ;O))))

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  4. Oh my I will never complain again about having to get a few of those off of b e a u s paws. They get stuck on my shoes and I have to brush him off but he's tall enough they only did on his paws. And I can't imagine trying to get all of those out of that Curly fur. That you did your job and you spread everything around like he was supposed to

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  5. Bertie, I've found that my human is not impressed at my attempt to spread seeds around. Do you think it's because I prefer to bring them indoors and when I shake they drop on the floor and the rugs? She says they won't do any good at propagation in the house!
    I hope it wasn't too much of a chore for Gail to remove all those seeds - there does look rather a lot!

    Love,
    Inca xx

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  6. That hasn't happened to me yet this year but it will. I'm sure that Gail has already combed them all out, Bertie.

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  7. Before we moved to Pembrokeshire (actually an ongoing process) our house was down the road from where Alfred Russell Wallace lived and worked. Oscar enjoyed rubbing his neck in something quite foul near his cottage just the other week - not sure if this evolutionary or just yuk.

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  8. Bertie Bertie Bertie..
    Sometimes a guy has to think outside the box so I say well done!! How could Gail be unimpressed with such a lovely gift of garden delights?
    Hugs Cecilia

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  9. Lee had the same plant matter on her yesterday after an independent t stroll into the bush! Lee and Phod

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  10. Looks like you got into some burrs. I bet those were tough to get out of your fur!

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  11. Why is it humans don't seem to appreciate the lengths we will go to in order to further evolution?? Good job Bertie, good job!!
    xoxo,
    Arty and the Gang
    PeeEss...I sure hope Gail didn't insist on removing the said seeds from your furs too roughly!

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  12. Oh, Bertie, your furs are a great way to disperse seeds. We hope Gail was able to remove all those stickers without too much trouble.

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  13. Good try Bertie, but in a household of crap collecting generations of scotties, the spreading of plant seeds and material for natural selection doesn’t hold water…..

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  14. Now you'll have a species of plant uniquely adapted for growing in dog fur and on sheets. Way to go Bertie!!!!

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  15. Our mom calls them sticky burrs and we get them too, but not yet here in the states...they are very annoying! But we appreciate your scientific explanation!

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