More than a century later, the American biologist Daniel Janzen extended this view in his paper ‘What Are Dandelions and Aphids?’ (1977).
- A research paper "What are dadelions and aphids?
- Biologist Daniel Janzen argues that
- Much like the strawberry,
- both dandelions and
- aphids can (all) alternate between asexual and sexual reproduction.
- Most of the dandelion clusters that you come across in the yard are clones resulting from asexual reproduction.
- So from the perspective of evolution, Janzen argued, all these clones are part of the same scattered individual.
- On this view, a single dandelion is not actually the familiar small plant;
- it’s more akin to ‘a very large tree with no investment in trunk, major branches, or perennial roots.
- It has a highly diffuse crown.’ -
- Biologist Daniel Janzen argues that