Original Question: Giving relevant examples, explain how seeds and fruits are adapted to the animal method of dispersal.
What are the Adaptations of Animal-Dispersed Seeds and Fruits?
- Some fruits are hooked (sticky) on the ovary wall, or into the calyx. These hooks stick on the fur/hairs (or clothes in man) of passing animals; this enables them to be carried and deposited to a new site from the parent plant.
Examples: - Blackjack (Bidens pilosa), desmodium, etc.
- Fruits that are succulent /fleshy/ juicy (fleshy pericarp) are eaten by animals and their seeds are discarded a distance away from the parent plant.
Examples: Berries like oranges, Bananas, mangoes, guavas, etc.
- Some fruits have brightly coloured epicarp, which attracts animals, facilitating feeding and hence dispersal.
Examples: - Oranges, Bananas, mangoes etc.
- Other succulent fruits are aromatic/scented i.e. have a sweet smell; which attracts animals. The animals feed on the fruits and discard the seeds away from the parent plant.
Examples: - Oranges and bananas.
- Some fruits have seeds with coats (testa) that are hard and resistant to digestive enzymes. The fruits together with the seeds are swallowed; the seeds being hard and indigestible are passed out with feces while they are still capable of germination.
Examples: -Guava, mangoes, avocadoes, oranges, etc.
- Other seeds are covered with sticky (mucoid) material and are carried on the feet of birds, and consequently discarded away from the parent plant.