We’ve all heard examples of animal altruism: Dogs caring for
orphaned kittens, chimps sharing food or dolphins nudging injured mates to the
surface. Now, a study led by the University of Colorado Boulder suggests some
plants are altruistic too.
The researchers looked at corn, in which each fertilized
seed contained two “siblings” -- an embryo and a corresponding bit of tissue
known as endosperm that feeds the embryo as the seed grows, said CU-Boulder
Professor Pamela Diggle. They compared the growth and behavior of the embryos
and endosperm in seeds sharing the same mother and father with the growth and
behavior of embryos and endosperm that had genetically different parents.