Why are some fruit poisonous? Shouldn’t fruit be more edible so that more animals eat it and disperse the seeds?

Question

Why are some fruit poisonous? Shouldn’t fruit be more edible so that more animals eat it and disperse the seeds?

In: 3

Answer 1

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.