Am 15.09.2011 10:24, schrieb Invisible:
>
> Well, yes, to a degree that's true. It's also clear that, for example,
> snake venom is "obviously" designed to kill the things that snakes eat.
> I'm just wondering whether fungi deliberately manufacture substances for
> no other reason than to prevent them being eaten, or whether the stuff
> that makes them so poisonous is just a normal part of their internal
> chemistry.

There is no doubt that it originated as a "normal" (or, actually, back 
then abnormal) part of their internal chemistry. How would a 
non-sentient fungus develop a poison, if not by happenstance?

But obviously, accumulating substances in your body that kill animals if 
they eat part of you happens to be beneficial for your kin. So the fact 
that by now there exist various fungi which are poisonous is /not/ 
happenstance at all, but a logical consequence of evolution.

Post a reply to this message