时差N小时:果实成熟(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.

　　通过为吃果实的动物提供富含营养的果实，比如：糖，水或类胡萝卜素，维他命和矿物质等重要成分，植物来吸引吃果实的动物。植物往往以特定的动物为特定目标，那些动物会使植物种子有发芽的最佳机会，反之，则会阻止或击退其他对种子发芽不利的动物。要吸引鸟类而不是吸引哺乳动物的植物，可能会带刺或结出对多数哺乳类动物难吃，但对鸟类美味的果实。想吸引哺乳动物的植物而不是鸟类的植物，结出的水果可能有更厚，更粗糙的外皮。不要忘了人类选择性育种已戏剧性地改变了许多水果，将植物的野生状态改变成果实较大，口味更甜，籽更少的果实。