Who Keeps Spreading the Seeds of This Parasitic Plant?
Cockroaches are just the half of it The post Who Keeps Spreading the Seeds of This Parasitic Plant? appeared first on Nautilus .
A parasitic plant called fungus root (Balanophora fungosa) thrives in Japanese tropical forests, without roots, leaves, or chlorophyll, but it can drain nutrients from host trees and clone underground. Despite producing up to a million seeds in dry fruits, its primary mode of seed dispersal remained a mystery. Researchers from Kobe University investigated and discovered that cockroaches, hermit crabs, and ants were the main seed dispersers.
Ants were initially suspected due to their association with other Balanophora plants. However, covering plants with nets that allowed only ants access halted seed dispersal. Time-lapse cameras captured cockroaches and hermit crabs visiting the fruits, with hermit crabs scraping off pieces of fruit that were carried by their bodies and potentially dispersed up to 100 meters away.
Cockroaches also passed seeds through their digestive tracts, potentially spreading them up to 100 meters away. The crabs and roaches were attracted to mature B. fungosa plants, possibly due to the yeasty smell from volatile organic compounds released to attract pollinators.
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