Q.Write the functions of fruits.

A fruit is the mature, ripened ovary (sometimes with accessory parts); its main biological roles are protecting the seed(s) inside and enabling their dispersal, alongside providing nourishment to seeds and, in some cases, food for humans/animals.

A fruit develops from the ovary (and sometimes other floral parts) after fertilization and serves several important functions:

1. Protection of seeds: The pericarp (fruit wall — differentiated into epicarp, mesocarp, and endocarp) encloses and protects the developing seed(s) from mechanical injury, desiccation, pathogens, and predation while the embryo matures.

2. Dispersal of seeds: Fruits show diverse structural adaptations that help scatter seeds away from the parent plant, reducing competition and aiding colonisation of new areas — e.g. winged/plumed fruits (Dandelion, Drumstick) for wind dispersal, buoyant fruits (coconut) for water dispersal, hooked/spiny fruits (Xanthium) that cling to animal fur, and fleshy, edible fruits (mango, guava) that are eaten by animals which then disperse the seeds in their droppings.

3. Nourishment: The fruit (and particularly the pericarp/endosperm-related tissues) can provide nutrients that support seed development and germination.

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