Q.Describe dispersal of fruit and seeds by animals.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Step 1. Birds and mammals, including human beings, play an important role in dispersing fruits and seeds, using three distinct devices described in the chapter.
Step 2. Hooked fruit: the surface of the fruit or seed bears hooks (e.g. Xanthium), barbs (e.g. Andropogon), or spines (e.g. Aristida), which let it adhere to the fur of passing animals or the clothing of people, carrying it away until it eventually drops off somewhere new.
Step 3. Sticky fruits and seeds: some fruits carry sticky glandular hairs that adhere directly to the fur of grazing animals (e.g. Boerhaavia, Cleome); others instead have a viscid (sticky) outer layer that adheres to the beak of a bird as it feeds, and when the bird later rubs its beak clean against a tree branch elsewhere, the seed is deposited and can germinate there (e.g. Cordia, Alangium). …
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