If dandelions produce seeds asexually, then what is the point of the bright yellow flower?

I mean, a bright yellow flower is supposed to attract insects for pollination. However, dandelions don't need pollination to reproduce -- they produce seeds asexually, resulting in their progeny being clones of the mother. Could the flower be a remnant of their evolutionary past? or do some dandelions reproduce sexually?

If dandelions produce seeds asexually, then what is the point of the bright yellow flower?
Not all dandelions reproduce through apomixis; in fact, the incursion (relatively recently) of the European dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) into Japan has resulted in hybridization with Asian dandelions and, because of the shorter pollen tube produced by TAOF also means that it can "block" native pollen and prevent fertilization.


But I digress. Well, not really. So you can see from its congeners that some dandelion species reproduce sexually. So it's likely TAOF reproduced sexually in the past, but the ability of apomictic species to reproduce rapidly without any others of its species around would be such a great advantage in a tasty-flowered long-distance-seeding plant that the asexually repsoducing ones would survive.


And there's still some mutation and DNA transcription "errors" in meiosis that can result in differences between offspring and parents, even without sex.
Reply:Dandelions self-pollinate to reproduce their seeds, thus having their mother and father in the same plant. Scientists believe that the flower is indeed a remnant of its evolutionary past; they believe that dandelions began self-pollinating only in recent years. Report It

Reply:Perhaps the color yellow is a warning color to animals that would eat the blossom before it goes to seed? I mean, if yellow means poison, or bad taste to an animal...that could protect the blossom.
Reply:Dandelions do not asexually produce seeds. They are self-pollinators. You can't really see it w/o a dissecting microscope, but the carpel is surrounded by a tube of fused stamens. When the flower is ready for fertilization, the carpel grows out of the stamen tube and along the way picks up pollen.
Reply:Creatures eat it, and the seeds get passed on.
Reply:apparently, they need to expand their genetic code to continue to evolve... I would think this would be common knowledge
Reply:God made it that way and who really cares





But, I think its because dandelions are wind pollinated and they have to have a way to release their seeds.
Reply:Its the advantage and disadvatage of each method of reproduction.


Eg. assexual reproduction is much more rapid than sexual and only needs 1 parent...so they are clones of that parent (being geneticall identical to that parent).





disadvatage is that this genetic similarity means they have the same resistance to diseases, environmental conditions (eg drought, water logging) or to damage eg root damage, browsing.





Its in the best interest of the plant to also combine it genes with others to get more diverse offspring. THis means there is a greater chance that more will survive in extreme conditions or they will be genetically better and therefore produce more offspring and "populate the world".


Disdvantage is it requires energy to produce flowers, needs 2 parents and is slower than assexual.





Depending on the situation, the plants will do either and/or both.
Reply:I believe it has to do with adaptation for survival. There are several instances of weeds that have adapted by taking on the characteristics of plants around them so that they might thrive instead of being eradicated.