SOME plants have literally climbed their way to evolutionary success. Climbing plants such as vines are far more diverse than their sedentary relatives, a survey has found.
Vines are present in 130 of the estimated 500 families of flowering plants, and in some tropical forests they account for up to 40 per cent of all species. These opportunistic climbers use trees, shrubs or cliffs to twine past the competition and catch precious rays of sunlight.
But Ernesto Gianoli at the University of Concepción in Chile wondered if vines are really as evolutionarily successful as they seem. He looked at 48…
