Why do “weeds” grow so much more quickly and without any nurturing compared to plants/crops?
In: Biology
We have carefully selected our crops to produce large yields. This is economically costly to the plant. Plants in nature don’t produce yields like that because natural selection penalises that kind of economic investment. We ensure that it is beneficial for the plant through carefully removing competitors, inputs of fertilizer and water etc.
A weed, on the other hand, has survived for generations of being unnaturally selected against. All the resources that a cropped plant puts into seeds/fruits etc, the weed will put into being hardy, being resistant to herbicides or pests, being difficult to uproot (ever tried to uproot a dandelion?).
Weeds aren’t just better at surviving because they haven’t been weakened by human selection. They are tougher because *humans have unconsciously selected them for toughness*
Latest Answers