Animal Power Some flowering plants package their seeds in fruits and berries. Many small berries keep well on the branches and become food for birds in winter. The small seeds are hidden in the berry pulp. The birds swallow the berries whole and the seeds pass through their digestive tracts. Birds often transport small seeds in this way.
Some plants produce large, sweet, perishable fruits.
These fruits are fragrant, and attract tree climbers, like raccoons, as well as grazing animals. In carrying away the fruits, the animals also carry away the seeds. In the wild these fruits are smaller than the ones that humans have selected to grow in their orchards. These seeds roll and bounce, and are gathered by small animals, like squirrels. Here is another way that plants use the animals that feed on them.