時(shí)差N小時(shí):果實(shí)成熟(下)

　　Plants attract fruit eaters，or “frugivores”–by packingvaluable resources into their fruits like sugar andwater or important nutrients such as carotenoids,vitamins and minerals. Plants often target specificanimals that will give their seeds the best chancesfor germination, and discourage or repel animalsthat won’t. Plants that want to attract birds ratherthan mammals might produce thorns or have fruitsthat taste unpalatable to most mammals but tastyto birds. Plants that want to repel birds but attractmammals might have fruits with thicker, tougherouter skins. Don’t forget that selective breeding by humans has dramatically changed manyfruits from their wild state, often resulting in larger, sweeter fruits with fewer seeds.

　　通過(guò)為吃果實(shí)的動(dòng)物提供富含營(yíng)養(yǎng)的果實(shí)，比如：糖，水或類(lèi)胡蘿卜素，維他命和礦物質(zhì)等重要成分，植物來(lái)吸引吃果實(shí)的動(dòng)物。植物往往以特定的動(dòng)物為特定目標(biāo)，那些動(dòng)物會(huì)使植物種子有發(fā)芽的最佳機(jī)會(huì)，反之，則會(huì)阻止或擊退其他對(duì)種子發(fā)芽不利的動(dòng)物。要吸引鳥(niǎo)類(lèi)而不是吸引哺乳動(dòng)物的植物，可能會(huì)帶刺或結(jié)出對(duì)多數(shù)哺乳類(lèi)動(dòng)物難吃，但對(duì)鳥(niǎo)類(lèi)美味的果實(shí)。想吸引哺乳動(dòng)物的植物而不是鳥(niǎo)類(lèi)的植物，結(jié)出的水果可能有更厚，更粗糙的外皮。不要忘了人類(lèi)選擇性育種已戲劇性地改變了許多水果，將植物的野生狀態(tài)改變成果實(shí)較大，口味更甜，籽更少的果實(shí)。