The Cambrian Explosion: Biological Diversity Gone Wild

Plants and Insects: An Active War-zone

Plants obviously do not like being eaten by insects. In response to caterpillar herbivory, biological diversity enabled these plants to develop enzymes that make a very toxic chemical which is stored inside each leaf. This chemical is so toxic that the plant cannot store it while it is active otherwise it would poison itself. As a result, the plant developed a chemical which is only toxic when it interacts with the saliva of caterpillars, effectively poisoning the invader.

However, the caterpillar did not simply allow this new defense mechanism to destroy its species. Instead, over time, it evolved a mutation in its saliva that enabled it to deactivate the chemical before it could do any harm. On top of that, the caterpillar also evolved a mutation that enabled it to take the chemical and display it on its skin. This allows it to poison its own predators if they try to eat it. This mutation essentially rendered the plant defense useless and now it is back under pressure to generate another defense.

Conclusion

The story of the diversification of life is an awe inspiring tale. It shows the incredible ability of organisms to utilize their energy and resources to accomplish the unthinkable. The simple laws of physics and competition drove simple creatures into an age of rapid diversification which redefined the capabilities of life.

I still find it mind boggling that the presence of such simple concepts enable all of this biological diversity. The more I study biology, the more I come to realize how little is understood about all of these changes. It makes me think about how many generations of scientists will be required to fully dissect the mysteries hidden within each biological machine. This is an endeavor which I think is essential to progress human civilization beyond our primitive understanding of the universe and our capabilities.