The plant produces a juicy, sweet fruit with a secret seed inside, which entices fruit-eating mammals like toucans, flying foxes, and orangutans to take a bite.
As these animals travel and digest their meals, they pass the fruit seeds through their waste. This method has helped plants that cannot move disperse seeds over larger areas.
This process has been crucial for ecosystems for a long time, but recent research indicates that insects and invertebrates also play a significant role in seed dispersal.
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Ants are the most well-known seed-dispersing insects, spreading seeds from plants containing special oil bodies called elaiosomes. These seeds are then carried to ant nests, where the ants eat the elaiosomes and discard the seeds either on the surface or deep underground.
Other insects are also thought to aid in seed dispersal, particularly for non-green plants that parasitize other plants or consume fungi for nutrients.
For example, small woodlice distribute seeds from parasitic bell-shaped plants, helping in the growth of new plants.
In New Zealand, researchers found that wetter crickets help in the dispersal of plant seeds by feeding on them and spreading them through their waste. This phenomenon is important for areas where ground-dwelling mammals are not present.
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Research also shows that Japanese camel crickets play a role in dispersing seeds by eating and expelling them. This is significant as insects may have a broader role in seed dispersal than previously thought.
This challenges the traditional understanding of seed dispersal and highlights the importance of insects in ecosystem functioning.
About our experts
Professor Ellen Sims is a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, with published work in magazines such as BMC Ecology and Ecology Letters.
Professor Kevin Banks is a field biologist at Victoria University of Wellington, with work published in journals like Plant Ecology and Ecological Research.
Professor Kenji Suetsugu is a biologist at Kobe University, with work published in journals like Ecology and New Botanist.
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
