(Photograph = Phainopepla nitens, Andrew Johnson)

Introduction

Phainopepla nitens consumes fruits of various plants in tropical deciduous forests. It is a common consumer of the fruit of the cactus, Myrtillocactus geometrizans. Does it deposit the seeds in a suitable location?

The Details

Many birds eat the fruits and seeds of plants. Then they fly away to drop the seeds in new places. It can be a useful tradeoff for the plant, their seeds have a chance to germinate in a new location and won’t compete with the mother plant.

However, there are no guarantees for bird-dispersed seeds. Where do the birds fly after eating? M. geometrizans grows in tropical deciduous forests. For best effect, its seeds should be deposited in similar ecological terrain. It will not be useful if the seeds are dropped in grasslands or along rivers.

Fortunately, P. nitens has a high fidelity for the tropical deciduous forests. It eats M. genometrizans fruits and stays within the forest to deposit the seeds in presumably suitable locations.

Additional Reading: Phainopepla nitens and Myrtillocactus geometrizans