Why Did It Take Us So Long?

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We've long known that animal pollination is an important way plants reproduce on land, but we're only JUST finding out animals also pollinate plants underwater.
LEARN MORE
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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
- Zoophily: a form of pollination whereby pollen is transferred by animals
- Hydrophily: a type of pollination in which pollen is dispersed by the flow of water
- Seaweed: massive, multicellular algae
- Spermatia: a nonmotile male gamete of red alga
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CREDITS
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Kate Yoshida | Script Writer, Narrator and Director
Arcadi Garcia i Rius | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation
Nathaniel Schroeder | Music
MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC
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OUR STAFF
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Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke
Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes
Alex Reich • Henry Reich • Peter Reich
Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida
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REFERENCES
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Lavaut, E., Guillemin, M. L., Colin, S., Faure, A., Coudret, J., Destombe, C., & Valero, M. (2022). Pollinators of the sea: A discovery of animal-mediated fertilization in seaweed. Science, 377(6605), 528-530. doi.org/10.1126/science.abo6661
Ollerton, J., & Ren, Z. X. (2022). Did pollination exist before plants?. Science, 377(6605), 471-472. doi.org/10.1126/science.add3198
van Tussenbroek, B. I., Monroy-Velazquez, L. V., & Solis-Weiss, V. (2012). Meso-fauna foraging on seagrass pollen may serve in marine zoophilous pollination. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 469, 1-6. doi.org/10.3354/meps10072
Van Tussenbroek, B. I., Villamil, N., Márquez-Guzmán, J., Wong, R., Monroy-Velázquez, L. V., & Solis-Weiss, V. (2016). Experimental evidence of pollination in marine flowers by invertebrate fauna. Nature communications, 7(1), 12980. doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12980

[@MinuteEarth]

Trick or treat yourself 👀- Check out our fall shop sale for cool products that tell interesting science stories: dftba.com/minuteearth

[@RealRomplayer]

@MinuteEarth Can you please stop making clickbait titles? Your content is SO good and have such a high quality, but then you post nonsense titles like "Why did it take us so long?" which don't tell ANYTHING about the video.

[@SableGear]

While not a huge discovery in that the effect being observed is small-scale, this could have interesting implications in terms of the "history" of animal-pollination. Sea grasses and tiny invertebrates showed up before their terrestrial counterparts, so it's possible that not only did animal pollination appear first in aquatic environments, but that it evolved again, independently, in terrestrial plants and the animals that interact with them. Not earth-shaking, but cool to think about.

[@pierrecurie]

Considering that there's hummingbirds, hummingbird hawk moths, bees, and certain bats that feed on nectar (and pollinate the plants), it's clear there's a lot of convergent evolution going on.

[@DJFracus]

"Sea grasses and tiny invertebrates showed up before their terrestrial counterparts," Incorrect, sea grasses are flowering plants, which first evolved on land. I'm guessing you're thinking of seaweed, which are algae.

[@StuffandThings_]

Pollination as we know it first evolved in land plants, likely at the close of the Middle Devonian with the first seed ferns. Interestingly enough though, Ginkgos and Cycads, which are very ancient plant groups that haven't changed their basic biology in hundreds of millions of years, still have pollen which can swim, a trait left over from the Carboniferous coal swamps. So it does seem that pollination and water go well together. Gymnosperms also make a "pollination drop" to help pollination along. Oddly enough, the eelgrass genus Vallisneria pokes its flower _above_ the water to avoid having to figure out aquatic pollination

[@user-xj8wy4uu1q]

.

[@user-xj8wy4uu1q]

@@DJFracuswell red algae did

[@lectureit]

the dating scene for underwater critters is so buzzing. It's like a singles mixer on the reef - 'Swipe right for sweet nectar!'

[@Naidnapurugavihs]

FINALLY as an aspiring marine biologist I was always interested in zoophily in marine/aquatic ecosystems, thank you so much for covering this guys, 🌎🌎🌎🌎❤❤❤❤

[@spaceolive]

R.I.P. bug, 2023-2023. 1:28

[@athenajayvieljerios8343]

*"Bro's break dancing" 😹💀*

[@maverick9708]

It's things like this that make sure you can never say "the science is settled" because there could always be a new observation that changes our understanding

[@yland6003]

I think that it’s a big deal to learn about underwater pollinators. Kelp forests are important to earths climate. The daily plankton migration could be pollinating underwater plants up and down the water column.

[@crowbirdy]

Oh! We mentioned about this in algae class! Red algae is weird and has a tiny genome, specifically that has no flagella genes, so sperm can't swim, so some use tiny crustaceans as pollinators! It's a very unique thing because pretty much all life has flagella, so red algae not having them has interesting consequences

[@insederec]

Imagine how many other things we've never even thought of happen in our universe. Something this small -- or maybe something really huge.

[@user-xw8zw7rh1n]

I love how title and thumbnail gives a very less information what this video is about but we still clicked it

[@m1w3m]

It had been years since I lost the game...

[@thejakery]

I haven't been caught out like that in a very long time. So unexpected, so brave.

[@Terraspark4941]

you did NOT just put a you lost the game reference in the video MinuteEarth, grrrah Moving on, interesting video on marine ecology/science overall 👍

[@missnaomi613]

I love getting my nerdy fix with videos like this!

[@frogger9801]

0:18 Someone's a fan of Paper Mario!

[@germanomagnone]

in the docufiction "The Future Is Wild" in the 7th episode entitled: "Flooded World" they had shown a coevolution between the Reef Glider, a descendant of the sea snail, and the descendants of the red algae which, after the extinction of coral reefs, create reefs that grow rapidly thanks to Reef Gliders that pollinate the "sea flowers" of algae

[@minghea2754]

The freaking water molecular movement of the small pollinator got me

[@janiselmeris5705]

Interesting discovery, bad title.

[@goatcat2737]

well that's the best intro I've ever seen

[@carnsoaks1]

This is a freaking Nobel Prize worthy discovery.

[@tiffanymarie9750]

Evolution says "assumptions make an ass out of you and me"

[@cuckoophendula8211]

I'm wondering if the giraffe graphic around 2:44 is a reference to how we've long hand waved away the Lamarckian theory of evolution (and how relatively recent discoveries in epigenetics kind of implied that there is a Lamarckian model that exists in nature somewhere).

[@crep50]

Well that is certainly one way to do an intro

[@TheStickCollector]

Interesting

[@captainstroon1555]

Weren't waterlilies some of the first aerial pollinators? Sounds to me like pollination - just like life itself - first evolved underwater and made the step onto dry land later on

[@user-xj8wy4uu1q]

Sorta, not really

[@stat251097]

If it make sense it could happen somewhere in nature then it is definitely happening

[@ngtony2969]

Wrong. It's whatever isn't so senseless that it kills your chain of procreation, gets to stay. Evolution is not about getting high marks in a test, it's about doing anything that doesn't make you fall it, including doing senseless useless even wrong things.

[@bryantlee2810]

That first line of the video really caught me off guard

[@JosephGallagher]

The seawater being x8 denser fact blew my mind

[@mahxylim7983]

Water/sea water is 800x denser than air

[@DaveTexas]

My question is whether there are some aquatic plants that are ONLY pollinated by tiny sea creatures, or if all aquatic plants can be pollinated by the motion of the water and these tiny pollinating creatures are redundant.

[@alphaapple1375]

At 1:18: A Fire Flower, a power-up item from the Mario franchise, is featured in this video. At 3:00: Makar, a character from the video game: the Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, is featured in this video.

[@RJ_Ehlert]

Nice.

[@Fayanora]

I got this notion that the motion of the ocean meets small craft advisories...

[@ryhol5417]

I never knew that. Never really thought about underwater pollination though. The slime version makes sense for the environment

[@TreRetter]

Yahaha! You found me! (3:00)

[@babilon6097]

Which green bug are you?

[@b1battledroid882]

ocean's deep man, dunno what to tell you

[@dittoma]

3rd thumbnail change let's keep going, baby!

[@vincenium]

Scientific dogma, as in scientific consensus? Interesting, please do more of those "science is done by humans" as more people need to hear it

[@TheWorldsLargestOven]

1:18 Fire Flower

[@deepclient1531]

Why you surprised, I knew this hundreds of years ago

[@victorribera5796]

Me everytime I see a Kolog: "YAHAHAA!"

[@miketacos9034]

That first sentence really threw me for a loop, ngl.

[@galaxiaknight]

This brings me to mind a different question... do sponges and corals get 'polinized'? Are there little critters that carry the sperm between individual sponges/corals?

[@stevehero3562]

Hello, Is anythere, am i all alone?

[@guardianoffire8814]

Yes were all the voices in your head. The world ended along time ago and you are simply having illusions constructed by your mind from your life before the end of times. Now wake up. There is rustling from the trees near your encampment. Its that mutant bug that's been stalking you for past three days.

[@SojournerDidimus]

If we uncovered this quote scientific dogma unquote, just consider which other dogmas might topple...

[@damien4197]

1:49 - Don't think we didn't see what you did there. Go to your room :P

[@birdmvn]

i appreciate the foofighters reference

[@GIRGHGH]

I'm disappointed you didn't say anything about what the pollinators were, just said "they" exist and put a picture of some arthropod.

[@user-sh3pr3od5g]

They said that they were crustaceans tho??? Youre literally on the internet, you can even just google them

[@GIRGHGH]

@@user-sh3pr3od5g crustaceans are arthropods, and that doesn't narrow it down. And yes, I can Google it, but it's still information that should be in the video for completeness, I don't have time to watch nothing for multiple minutes then also do my own research. I'm an adult, kid.

[@ArtiOfficial]

The thumbnail made me think it's a Terraria video :D

[@LifeAreAmazing]

it was funny the scene of the (fire flower from mario 1:19)

[@purplecouch4767]

“What seems logical to humans isn’t necessarily how the world actually works.”

[@ross-carlson]

THIS is what's so amazing about science when compared to other disciplines, namely religion - IT CHANGES. IT LEARNS. When we are sure of something yet someone provides evidence for something else, evidence we can test and verify guess what happens? WE CHANGE. WE LEARN. WE GROW. WE ADVANCE. So sad that so many reject science for bronze age fairy tales.

[@literallyh.1091]

0:29 is that F.F from jjba?

[@aidenwallin3523]

So we've got Link and the Great Deku Tree at 2:53, and then a korok at 2:59. Did anyone else see the thumbnail and think Kate in the Victorian dress at 0:11 was supposed to be a reference to Agitha from Twilight Princess?

[@frogger9801]

Also the fire flower at 1:18 and a jabbi from Paper Mario at 0:18. Lots of references in this one

[@liambohl]

Humans spend a lot more time on land than underwater

[@T1Oracle]

It took us so long because we live above water and it's not easy for us to get down there and watch what's happening.

[@Jazzerizer]

0:00 why are the trees speaking enchantment table

[@christophermcculloch8781]

I just lost the game.

[@scribleman4902]

1000 views and only 6 comments? ima change that

[@sammossavat3325]

Awesome

[@mhkhusyairi]

Thanks

[@LordTono5]

2:51 damn I lost

[@hiranpeiris877]

wowowow

[@icantchooseaname6903]

why don't ppl watch u more.. ur quality of vids are easily worth 4m views or more

[@J75Pootle]

I mean, this was only released 2 hours ago, you wouldn't expect millions of views in the first 2 hours

[@jakegardner8667]

Shrimps is bugs?

[@TaysteeTots]

Does epigenetics let giraffes, that chronically stretch their necks before they reproduce, produce longer necked children?

[@namenlos4198]

But why do they do that?

[@Benetheburrito]

2:52 I lost the game

[@akitaprintr]

poor bug in 1:33

[@PramkLuna]

Now all we need to do is discover sea bees and access sea honey

[@lukesavitch4998]

2:52 Lower left

[@oezzimix]

of course it exists. Just by chance.

[@lispy5174]

amaranthine deceptors?

[@michaelcurley7002]

Cool

[@1casper234]

Where is emily?

[@jjy1874]

This debunks evolution: it is proof that even widely accepted scientific theories such as the theory of evolution are doubtable.

[@LENZ5369]

This is very interesting (I did not know about marine pollinators) but I do take issue with the harmful trope/stereotype of 'arrogant scientists/science'. To quote Dara O Briain -"Science knows it doesn't know everything; otherwise, it'd stop"

[@tilk]

Most scientific progress happens at small steps, tiny pieces of knowledge, within established theories. These discoveries are easy for everyone to accept. Acceptance of new theories comes harder, because the experiments confirming the new theory can't leave any doubt, and also because of the egos of the people who are invested in the old theory and irrationally believe in it. Scientists are people too, you know.

[@LENZ5369]

@@tilk Of course scientists are people but the fundamental methodology of science is rooted in not to 'always be right' or to 'be right fast'; it's to be 'right-er' than yesterday. Real theories take years/decades to gain wide acceptance -that is intentional, its a key feature not a bug; with big issues; you'd have several generations of academics arguing, testing and criticizing each others work. It's easy (hindsight bias) to criticize the slow adoption of something that we now consider fact but must also consider the magnitudes of wrong (and potentially harmful) things that were weeded out by the process.

[@Peter-pp6kj]

Kate!

[@sarad2487]

Dude u changed the thumbnail

[@olli3686]

0:56 should have ended here, it’s called “minute” earth

[@ludvercz]

I didn't even know there were underwater angiosperms

[@Little-Buster]

Underwater bees.

[@1969kodiakbear]

SpaceX and Tesla. By the way, I have difficulty communicating because I had a stroke in Broca’s area, the part of the brain that controls speech. 2/8/2021 but I lived again. (My wife helped me compose this.)

[@Kram1032]

I gotta say, this is a pretty bad title. If it hand't been this channel, I don't think I would have clicked. Very cool tho

[@AuroCords]

Key words in this video were "open minded" and "scientific dogma". In my opinion :)

[@ngtony2969]

Not really. Those are just normal science key words people should always keep in mind. The way you say it exaggerates it and make uneducated idiotic xirshtians jizz.

[@nsTurkish]

Turkish subtitles please

[@ydrib6086]

I refuse to accept a reality were literal TOILET HEADS are getting 100x more views than genuinly usefull and effortfull videos

[@whimsicalname]

This is a great video- and it made me lose The Game.

[@darksecret965]

P L A N T S E X X

[@zclaytor]

I lost the game. 😫

[@YEWCHENGYINMoe]

14h ago

[@laurenr842]

J

[@Yeitsjames]

How is this ground breaking? I feel like if you asked anyone on earth “hey do you think animals help underwater plants pollinate like they do on land sometimes?” Everyone is gonna say yeah they probably do even if not very often it’s obvious that if a thing was eating a plant and that plant had any sort of pollen or anything sticky that is reproductive in nature just the action of feeding would result in the transfer of said material from one location to another. 💀

[@inamoerdyk9636]

e

[@Kyonkicchi]

Oh, lovely! So when the ice caps are completely melted from climate change we'll still be able to farm sea grasses for food. All is not lost!

[@Areaninetyone]

Humanities hubris is what led to this embarrassing lack of knowledge, we're worried about billionaires being able to reproduce in and monopolize space that we act like the earth has nothing left to offer.

[@BruceWaynesaysLandBack]

Scientists could’ve just asked natives who fish/free dive in the area. But uh, good job finally figuring it out

[@Zquirrelthing]

what a terrible video ttitle

[@Fish-wu6fo]

Worst Thumbnail and Caption

[@thedoctor3372]

Man, the MinuteEarth team are absolute trash at making compelling titles and thumbnails, sometimes, aren't they? Fire whoever's idea this was.

[@babilon6097]

It wasn't bugging anyone and even now turns out we were mostly right? Sounds like a wet rag of a discovery. We discovered it, water under the bridge...

[@TheEudaemonicPlague]

I should like to point out, before I put your channel on my "do not recommend" list, that talking down to your listeners is really offensive. What's worse, is that you may not recognize that you're doing it. I bet you don't like it when people talk to you like you're an idiot, so why would you do that to anyone else, unless you intend to offend them?