Forest Floor: Seeds and Fruits

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Forest Floor: Seeds and Fruits
By Rhett Butler
Mongabay.com

SEEDS and FRUITS
Many of the seeds and fruits produced by canopy trees fall to the ground where they provide food for seed gatherers (rodents, birds, fish, etc) and create a natural seed bank in the leaf litter. There are two growth strategies once seeds reach the ground. One strategy is to produce large seeds with food reserves enabling the seedling to survive in the low-light conditions of the understory. The second method characteristic of many pioneer species is to produce huge numbers of small seeds which only germinate under certain conditions (usually light gaps). When a light gap opens, these seeds sprout and the seedlings rapidly grow to once again plug the hole in the canopy.

Visit the web site to for great photos and to learn more; scroll down to see links to other sections on the forest floor (birds, reptiles, herbivores, carnivores).