<story><title>There’s no such thing as a tree, phylogenetically</title><url>https://eukaryotewritesblog.com/2021/05/02/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-tree/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>carapace</author><text>I&amp;#x27;ve been looking into plants recently and they are mind-blowing.&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;#x27;t even know where to start.&lt;p&gt;In re: TFA, most annuals that we use for crops have perennial versions.  I just planted a &amp;quot;thicket bean&amp;quot; (Phaseolus polystachios) which should grow for years!  There are perennial kales that grow into small tree-like &amp;quot;canes&amp;quot;.  There&amp;#x27;s a thing called a &amp;quot;strawberry tree&amp;quot; that is exactly what it sounds like: a tree that grows strawberry-like fruit.  It goes on and on.&lt;p&gt;One take-away is that agriculture as it has been practiced is about the dumbest way to grow food.  :(  Check out Gabe Brown&amp;#x27;s videos on regenerative agriculture to see how we can grow food and increase fertility and volume of soil by incorporating more species and doing less work.  See also the &amp;quot;food forest&amp;quot; concept: imagine a park or botanical garden where every species is edible.  It takes a while to set up but then it is self-sustaining with low labor, you mostly just harvest.&lt;p&gt;Another take-away is that we mostly already have all the technology we need to make a really fun and enjoyable civilization.  We have all these species that can develop food, medicine, clothing, fiber, wood, etc. such that the vast majority of our needs can be fulfilled in a garden.</text></comment>
<story><title>There’s no such thing as a tree, phylogenetically</title><url>https://eukaryotewritesblog.com/2021/05/02/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-tree/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>a_bonobo</author><text>&amp;gt;Why don’t more plants evolve towards the “grass” strategy?&lt;p&gt;Fun story!!! Seagrasses are like whales, in that their ancestors lived on land, and now they live completely submerged.&lt;p&gt;Seagrasses are nowhere closely related to grasses. Quote: &amp;#x27;They just… both did that.&amp;#x27; They&amp;#x27;re at least three, maybe four distinct &amp;#x27;back to the sea&amp;#x27; events in the seagrasses, with distinct lineages that went back separately, but show convergent loss of genes.&lt;p&gt;Most seagrasses look a lot like grasses, bringing me back to OP&amp;#x27;s &amp;#x27;grass strategy&amp;#x27; - under water it&amp;#x27;s a very successful strategy!</text></comment>