Ly explains the color formation of ripe fruits in different tree species

According to Scientific reports, in the process of studying the evolution of different plant species, scientists were interested in finding out what determines the color of fruits . It turns out, the origin of plants has almost no role. New fruit animals play a decisive role in the color of fruits.

For more than a century, biologists have been working hard to explain why each fruit has a certain color. The current hypothesis is that the color of fruits must attract fruit animals. Animals eat fruit together with seeds and those with animal manure dispersed over long distances. Thus, plants expand their range of survival and increase their chances of survival.

New fruit animals play a decisive role in the color of fruits - (Photo: MaxPixel).

The first studies in this direction are complicated by the fact that scientists then believed that animals also perceive colors as humans, although in reality they are not. For example, unlike mammals, black fruits can be much brighter for birds because birds see black in the ultraviolet spectrum.

In the new study, scientists collected data on fruit color when ripe for 97 species of plants from 3 different regions in Uganda and Madagascar. They found that the color of the fruit was not related to the origin of the tree and that the color could be similar to the completely different species.

However, biologists have discovered a rule - in fruits that attract mammals, fruits with green nuances are more common. In fact, compared to birds, mammals feel less color. Other plants that 'diners' are mainly birds are usually red in color. The reason for this difference is because birds are often forced to search for food from above, so the corresponding fruits must be brighter, striking on the green background.

From the end of the last century, scientists have assumed that in the course of evolution, different fruits must have colors that attract certain fruit animals. However, to prove this hypothesis is difficult, because scientists often tend to explain the formation of fruit colors by the origin of a common ancestor of plants or by geographic factors. such as humidity, temperature or soil properties.