Question

Mistletoe is a plant that lives on trees and gains nutrition from them (that is, it is a parasite). the fruit of the mistletoe is a one-seeded berry and is consumed by birds. in members of the genus viscum, the outside of the seed is viscous (sticky), which permits the seed to adhere to surfaces such as the branches of host plants or the beaks of birds. what should be expected of the fruit if the viscosity of viscum seeds is primarily an adaptation for dispersal rather than an adaptation for infecting host plant tissues? the fruit ________.

Answer 1

Ans.

Viscum album is a plant species, commonly known as mistletoe. It is a hemi-parasitic plant that grows on other trees.

Birds cause seed dispersal as they pick seeds from parent plant and drop them in other places. Seeds of mistletoe are sticky or viscous due to mucus and they provide nutritious food to the birds.

Hence, it can be concluded that the mistletoe seeds show adaptations primarily for seed dispersion, not for infecting the host plant.

Thus, the correct answer to be filled in the blank is 'is nutritious to the dispersing birds.'