What kind of animal transports the seeds of the world's smallest fruit-bearing plants?
Friday, August 21, 2020 - 10:30
in Biology & Nature
Balanophora have some of the smallest fruits among angiosperms, leading researchers to question how the seeds of these plants are dispersed. Very little is currently known about their seed dispersal system. Researchers have now documented an unrecognized seed dispersal mutualism between the peculiar, mushroom-like non-photosynthetic plant Balanophora yakushimensis and its avian visitors. The birds obtain nutrients, not from the tiny undernourished fruits, but from the larger fleshy bracts, while B. yakushimensis plants benefit from the seed dispersal.