Did the mathematical ability of plants come about by evolution? Or was it designed?

Question

PLANTS use a complex process called photosynthesis to extract energy from sunlight to create food. Studies on certain species have revealed that they perform yet another feat—they calculate the optimum rate at which to absorb that food overnight.

Consider: By day, plants convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into starch and sugars. During the night, many species consume the starch stored during the day, thus avoiding starvation and maintaining plant productivity, including growth. Moreover, they process the stored starch at just the right rate—not too quickly and not too slowly—so that they use about 95 percent of it by dawn, when they start making more.

The findings were based on experiments on a plant of the mustard family called Arabidopsis thaliana. Researchers found that this plant carefully rations its food reserves according to the length of the night, no matter whether 8, 12, or 16 hours remained until dawn. Evidently, the plant divides the amount of starch available by the length of time remaining until dawn, thus determining the optimal rate of consumption.

How do plants ascertain their starch reserves? How do they measure time? And what mechanism enables them to do math? Further research may shed light on these questions.

Paul · Answer

On the premise that independent studies show the same thing, of course it's evolved. Strains better able to regulate starch usage are able to out-compete their fellows, and so spread further.  That's pretty obvious, and needs no conscious design.

One surmises that they're not capable of mathematics in the same way we are, but that clever systems of chemicals regulate the use of starch. I don't know for sure, because I'm not a botanist (R&S is an odd place for this question, in my opinion, don't be surprised if it winds up somewhere else so you get more informative answers), but if I were to guess, I'd say that the plant might make a chemical signal during the day that gets reabsorbed during the night, and whose levels determine the rate at which it processes starches.

Edit: Seems like I'm about right, according to this thesis study (which, by the way, is the only work I can find on this particular plant - would you care to source your study so I can have a look?): https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/48101/

? · Answer

That is completely false.  This is a claim made up by Jehovah's Witnesses in an attempt to confuse people.  No real study has been done by any real scientist, and the claimed results are contrary to what every scientific study on the matter has shown.

Anonymous · Answer

It's not a design.

? · Answer

Classic appeal to incredulity fallacy.

"Wow, isn't it neat that plants do this? I can't understand how it evolved, therefore it must be designed!"

Anonymous · Answer

they were created that way from the beginning

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Did the mathematical ability of plants come about by evolution? Or was it designed?

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