Birds' Gut Passage Improve Odds Of Seeds Germinating

A NEW STUDY has shown that plant seeds which travel through a bird’s gut passage stand a higher chance of germination.

RESEARCH 1

The reseachers focused on seeds from the donne’ sali chilli plant (Capsicum frutescens), which grows wild in the forests in the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Birds eat the plant’s peppers and then disperse the seeds through their excrement.

A team from Iowa State University, America, carried out a range of experiments to determine whether a journey through a bird’s gut passage would increase the odds of the chilli seeds germinating, compared to seeds that hadn’t passed through birds’ guts.