J. G. asked:
> Is the term fruit in this question being restricted to those fruits that
>are eaten by mammals and birds, or does it include all the dry fruits that
>are more likely to be gnawed on by insects?
The original question had to do with fleshy fruits, and I think a lot of the
answers about animal dispersal were considering things eaten in one bite.
To add to the comment about many fruits lacking their original distributors,
let us consider the avocado. For years, scientists wondered what sort of
creature could have been the agent of distribution for the prehistoric
species, which had even larger pits than their modern cultivated
counterparts. It would take quite a large animal to eat one without chewing
up the pit! Then they found the fossil giant ground sloths...
Monique Reed
Botanist
Texas A&M
