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TWENTY THREE DAYS. “The infection takes three–five days to incubate in people before they fall ill, and another three–five days before, in 80 per cent of the cases, the victims die. Thus, from the introduction of plague contagion among rats in a human community it takes, on average, twenty-three days before the first person dies.” https://lnkd.in/gZz5b2U View in LinkedIn

CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT: “in many places in Siena great pits were dug and piled deep with the multitude of dead [...] And there were also those who were so sparsely covered with earth that the dogs dragged them forth and devoured many bodies throughout the city.” https://lnkd.in/gZz5b2U View in LinkedIn

ENORMOUS IMPACT. “The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people in Eurasia and peaking in Europe in the years 1346–1353. In total, the plague may have reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million down to 350–375 million in the 14th century. The world population as a whole did not recover to pre-plague levels until the 17th century. The plague recurred occasionally in Europe until the 19th century.” https://lnkd.in/gjdinF2 View in LinkedIn

TURNING POINT. “The Black Death was not only one of the greatest disasters in European history, but it was also one of the most defining moments in world history.” https://lnkd.in/gSKiQpE View in LinkedIn

“THE BLACK DEATH of 1348-49 was the greatest biomedical disaster in European and possibly world history”. https://lnkd.in/gSKiQpE View in LinkedIn

PRE-PLAGUE EUROPE. “At the beginning of the 14th century, Europe was in the midst of a revitalization. The agricultural revolution had made food more plentiful than before. More land was being cultivated and life was more optimistic than it had been for centuries. Despite a famine from 1315-1317 and the onset of the Hundred Year’s War, the 14th century continued to be a time of growth in Europe. This growth came to an end in 1347 though, with the emergence of the Black Death.” https://lnkd.in/gSKiQpE View in LinkedIn

DIOECIOUS WORK-AROUNDS. "Comparative studies of animal-pollinated dioecious species indicate that they commonly possess flowers that are less showy than outcrossing hermaphrodites, with small flowers that are often white, pale yellow, or green in colour. Nevertheless, the aggregation of these flowers can result in large floral displays that often show sexual dimorphism in floral and inflorescence traits." https://lnkd.in/ge7JD6J View in LinkedIn

HIGHER MALE COSTS. "In some wind-pollinated plants, male reproductive costs may match or exceed those of females because of the high investment in nitrogen-rich pollen." https://lnkd.in/ge7JD6J View in LinkedIn

HIGHER FEMALE COSTS. "Repeated bouts of maternal investment in fruits and seeds can lead to higher rates of mortality in females and may also exacerbate death by herbivory and disease." https://lnkd.in/ge7JD6J View in LinkedIn

PLANT SEXUAL TRAITS. "In long-lived species, males often exceed females in vigour, shoot size, and their capacity for clonal propagation, although exceptions do occur (e.g. Populus tremuloides." https://lnkd.in/ge7JD6J View in LinkedIn