Although entirely unconscious, many plants wage a continuous campaign to enlist animals to their aid. All flowering plants require two things (among, of course, many others) pollination and seed distribution. Although some plants rely on producing prodigious amounts of pollen to be distributed by the wind, most produce smaller amounts and enlist animals to carry pollen from plant to plant.
We're all familiar with the pollinating activities of bees, but a
multitude of other animals, including birds and bats, also are enticed by rewards of
nectar and expendable pollen. For seed distribution, many plants rely on the inanimate
forces of nature: gravity, wind, and water. Other plants rely on the reward system.
Eatable fruits are not manufactured for the purposes of animals, but to serve plants.
Many seeds pass unharmed through digestive systems, while others are discarded from
fruit carried away from its source to be enjoyed elsewhere. Another method of seed
dissemination is not so benign, as those of you know who have picked tickweed seed or
burrs from clothing, the fur of pets, or even "painfully" from skin.
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.