Why are some fruit poisonous? Shouldn’t fruit be more edible so that more animals eat it and disperse the seeds?
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It is only poisonous to certain animals. The ones it “wants” to disperse the fruit wouldn’t be affected by the poison.
As an imaginary example, let’s say there’s a tree that has seeds. These seeds would grow great in dung, but if it was chewed it would break up and nothing would grow. This fruit might be poisonous to cows and goats, which chew food, but safe for birds which seeds food whole.
Some fruits are poisonous because they have **natural toxins** that can harm humans. These toxins may protect the plants from being eaten by animals or insects, or they may be a by-product of the plant’s metabolism. Some fruits may also be poisonous because the rest of the plant is toxic, and the toxins end up in the fruit as well.
Now, plants need to protect themselves from herbivores because herbivores can damage or kill them, reducing their chances of survival and reproduction. Plants also need to balance their energy between growth and defense, so they may not want to invest too much in producing fruits that are attractive to all animals. Plants may prefer to have their seeds dispersed by specific animals that can benefit them more, such as birds that can carry the seeds farther away. Some plants may also use their fruits as a way to communicate with other plants or animals, such as releasing chemicals that attract predators or parasites of the herbivores.
it is only an advantage for certain animals eating it’s fruit, if the animal damages the seeds it doesn’t help spread the plant.
as an example hot chilis, birds can’t taste the heat because they eat and spread the seeds without damaging them, mammals can taste the heat because they damage the seeds
not all seeds “want” to be eaten, for one. for many plants, the fruit is an early source of nutrients for the seed.
there are also pests. even for fruit meant to be eaten, an insect won’t take the seed anywhere. caffeine is a natural pesticide.
Poison Ivy is a good example of spreading by animals eating the fruit but which is extremely poisonous to humans. Our digestive system would render the seeds useless but not in animals with high fiber diets such as deer, goats, and some bird species.
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