Why do hot pepper plants exist? Wouldn’t it have been an evolutionary disadvantage to have fruits that were painful for animals to eat?

Question

Why do hot pepper plants exist? Wouldn’t it have been an evolutionary disadvantage to have fruits that were painful for animals to eat?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Birds do not react to capsaicin. Pepper plants rely on birds to eat their fruit and fly away and poop out the seeds, thus spreading the plant. In fact, some species of plants specifically evolve to activate the germination of their seeds by being digested by animals like birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc. The capsaicin keeps medium to large animals from eating the fruit and it also is a natural protection against insects and other pests