Eli5: why do chilli plants turn red to attract animals to disperse seeds but also produce the spicy chemical to put them off?

Question

Eli5: why do chilli plants turn red to attract animals to disperse seeds but also produce the spicy chemical to put them off?

In: 6541

Answer 1

Because not all animals taste the spicy chemicals, just the mammals. Birds don’t taste it, and they don’t have teeth like mammals do, so seeds don’t get chewed up.