Another fascinating episode from a series produced by PBS/KQED: Deep Look…
Gall formations are indeed one of the most interesting examples of plant-animal interactions. Gall-inducing wasps are plant parasites. The larvae hijack the chemical signaling pathways by secreting two plant hormones auxin and cytokinin which induce abnormal cell divisions leading to gall formation. In certain instances anthocyanin production pathways become upregulated and this gives most of the gall tissues their characteristic red color.
Larvae also induce sugary secretions and literally dine and dash. However the party may not last long. Parasitoid wasps have evolved to parasitize the parasites with their ovipositors.
The earliest fossil record for gall formations go back to 20 million years ago during the evolutionary timeline known as Miocene epoch.
The exquisitely preserved fossil remains of a long-vanished forest from this time period in Clarkia, Idaho in USA yields excellent fossils. This is a distinct stretch in when the global climate started to cool down and boreal forest started to take over in northern lattitudes:
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