Nature's chefs: Scientists propose food-making as means of understanding species interactions

Date:
April 19, 2023
Source:
North Carolina State University
Summary:
An interdisciplinary group of researchers is proposing a new way to
think of some interactions between species, classifying a variety
of plants, animals and fungi as 'nature's chefs.' Specifically,
nature's chefs are organisms that provide food -- or the illusion of
food -- to other organisms. The concept offers a new perspective on
species interactions, which can inform how people think about food
across the tree of life as well as disparate research disciplines.


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FULL STORY ==========================================================================
An interdisciplinary group of researchers is proposing a new way to think
of some interactions between species, classifying a variety of plants,
animals and fungi as "nature's chefs." Specifically, nature's chefs
are organisms that provide food -- or the illusion of food -- to other organisms. The concept offers a new perspective on species interactions,
which can inform how people think about food across the tree of life as
well as disparate research disciplines.


========================================================================== "There are many ways of classifying species interactions," says
Brad Taylor, corresponding author of a paper on the new concept and
an associate professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State
University. "Mutualists interact with other species to both of their
benefit. Parasites rely on other species, but the other species doesn't benefit. Predators devour other species. But the 'nature's chef'
concept spans members of all of these groups, with the common factor
being that the relevant interactions all rely on food -- or the lure
of food." "The genesis of the idea for nature's chefs occurred at an interdisciplinary gathering when, in response to an explanation of the evolution of fruits, a chef uttered 'You mean to say, fruits are nature's chefs,'" says coauthor Rob Dunn, a professor of applied ecology at NC
State. "This seed of an idea led us to review and synthesize what is
known about food preparation and sharing across the animal, plant and
fungal kingdoms." The research team ultimately outlined three ways
that species can produce or prepare food for other organisms: as food,
as drinks or as food-like lures.

Nature's chefs sometimes prepare food for other organisms of the same
species, such as the nuptial food gifts that some species use to attract
mates. For example, male cockroaches prepare a nuptial food gift for
females that constitutes an important nitrogen source for the female
and her eggs.

"Though it may seem odd, or even repulsive, to use cockroaches and chefs
in the same sentence, a romantic dinner for two might be closest to the
outcome sought by many of nature's chefs," says Taylor.

Nature's chefs may also prepare food for organisms of different species,
such as the fruit many plants produce to attract animals to disperse
their seeds.

"It's also worth noting that nature's chefs include humans, and there are striking similarities between human and nonhuman chefs," Taylor says. "For example, human chefs use the attractive plating of food or billboards
to attract diners, whereas evolutionary processes have led plants to
use flowers as an for their nectar." The nature's chefs concept also distinguishes between organisms that produce "honest meals" versus
organisms that produce "deceptive meals," such as lures or food mimics.

Fruit is a good example of an honest meal -- animals (including humans)
are able to consume and benefit from the sweet or starchy fleshy material surrounding the seed. Plants, meanwhile, benefit when animals consume
or defecate the seed away from the parent plant, thereby reducing
inbreeding, competition, predation, and parasitism that can be higher
near the parent plant.

Snapping turtles, on the other hand, are an example of species that
use food mimics to deceive would-be diners. The tongue of the snapping
turtle has an appendage that closely resembles an aquatic worm. The fake
worm attracts organisms that eat worms to the snapping turtle's mouth,
making them prey for the turtle. In the context of nature's chefs this
is a predator-prey interaction influenced by one species, the chef,
preparing a deceptive meal to obtain its food.

Discussions among research team members from disparate disciplines led
to several discoveries that reinforced the concept of nature's chefs, especially regarding similarities to human chefs.

"For example, chefs and ecologists were fascinated that both human and
nonhuman chefs change the viscosity of liquids to appeal to different
diners," Taylor says. "Likewise, nature's chefs, human and nonhuman,
alter the density of foods to attract diners." The researchers also
identified several research questions to explore in the future. For
example, how does the availability of local or seasonal ingredients
affect the behavior of nature's chefs? We know that humans, and some
plants and fungi, warm food as part of meal preparation. How common
is that? Why are there so few fruits that smell or taste like meat?
The researchers are hopeful the nature's chefs concept will stimulate
further discussion, learning, and innovation among a diverse group of
people interested in food, drink, and food-like mimics.

"Nature's chefs can provide another way to organize our spectacularly
diverse world and also a way to bring people together from disparate disciplines to make new discoveries," says Taylor.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Plants_&_Animals
# Nature # New_Species # Food
o Earth_&_Climate
# Ecology # Exotic_Species # Rainforests
o Fossils_&_Ruins
# Evolution # Human_Evolution # Early_Humans
* RELATED_TERMS
o Animal o Food_chain o Biology o Genetics o Soil_life o
Plant_sexuality o Plant o Species

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
North_Carolina_State_University. Original written by Matt Shipman. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Brad W Taylor, Bradley Allf, Skylar R Hopkins, Rebecca E Irwin,
Michelle
Jewell, Omer Nevo, Lauren M Nichols, Nabila Rodri'guez Valero'n,
Joshua D Evans, Pia M So"rensen, Robert R Dunn. Nature's chefs:
Uniting the hidden diversity of food making and preparing species
across the tree of life.

BioScience, 2023; DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biad026 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230419125100.htm

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