Slide 1
A plant offers a meal
Fleshy fruits can attract animals that carry seeds away. The edible tissue supplies a reward while the seed holds a future plant.
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The animal is seeking food, not deliberately planting. Dispersal succeeds only when a seed survives transport and reaches a place where later establishment is possible.
Slide 2
The seed must survive
Some seeds pass through an animal's digestive tract intact. Their protective coverings help separate the edible reward from the embryo inside.
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Other seeds are crushed or digested and never germinate. Eating fruit can therefore produce dispersal or seed predation, depending on the animal, seed and way the food is handled.
Slide 3
Distance changes opportunity
An animal can deposit seeds away from the parent plant. This may reduce competition with nearby relatives and expose seeds to new sites.
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Farther is not always better: unsuitable ground can prevent establishment. Researchers consider both distance and the quality of the destination when assessing an animal's value as a disperser.
Slide 4
Not every diner delivers
An animal may eat fruit pulp while leaving the seed near the parent. Another may swallow or carry the seed much farther.
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Kew's account of durian distinguishes effective dispersers from pulp thieves. The same fruit can attract visitors with very different outcomes for the plant, even when each visitor obtains food.
Slide 5
Lost partners leave consequences
A plant may depend on animals large enough to handle its fruit or seeds. Losing those animals can alter the plant's regeneration.
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Adult trees can remain after a dispersal relationship weakens. The effect may first appear in the location or number of seedlings, making long-term recruitment important for detecting ecological change.
Sources
- How plants hitchhike on animal poo
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
- Durian: The king of fruit
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew