From Seed to Seed:
Plant Science for K-8 Educators

Other Adaptations for Seed Dispersal

Like the animals mentioned above, attracted to berries for the nutrients they contain, we humans enjoy and depend on fruits in our diets. As we have already learned, many common garden plants are technically fruits, including pepper, tomato, eggplant, and squash. Although we often harvest and eat these fruits long before they are fully mature (witness the popularity of "baby" vegetables), many common fruits do not develop their full flavor and sweetness until maturity.

Let's take an apple as an example. We were all warned as children that green apples would give us a stomachache. We would not want to eat them anyway, since they tasted so bitter and astringent. If immature fruits were tasty and sweet, we, and other animals, would be tempted to eat them in this state, before the seeds within were fully developed.

By waiting until the seeds are mature before "allowing" their fruits to develop their full sweetness and rich flavor, some plants ensure that their fruits will be left alone until the seeds are viable. Now, if this sweet apple is munched by a deer, at least the seeds are mature and have a chance to pass through the animal's digestive tract, ready to be "planted." If the fruit escapes this fate, then it will fully ripen and eventually fall from the tree. On the ground, the succulent fruit will decompose, depositing the seeds amid the rich nutrients left by the remains of the fruit.

We have officially reached the end of the plant life cycle. From a seed, our plant has germinated, grown, photosynthesized, transpired, respired, and reproduced to produce more seed. The only thing that is left is preparing for winter. This is obviously only a concern for plants growing in temperate regions and for plants other than annuals.