When a toucan plucks fruit from a tree in the Amazon Rainforest, it’s doing more than just finding lunch. Moving to a new location and depositing seeds via its droppings could be crucial in addressing ...

Corey Tarwater (right), an assistant professor in the UW Department of Zoology and Physiology, and Becky Wilcox, a UW Ph.D. student at the time of the research from Napa, Calif., set up automated ...

New research finds tropical forest disturbance goes beyond species loss and includes a shift towards smaller seeds and an increase in the proportion of trees dispersed by animals, impacting how the ...

If you liked this story, share it with other people. Society has recently become enthralled with bees and the amazing service they provide spreading pollen around and helping to sustain plant ...

A recent study conducted by Yale School of the Environment researchers discovered that animals — particularly flightless mammals — are key players in the seed dispersal of trees in recovering tropical ...

The shrub-like plant Rhynchotechum discolor produces fruit that are difficult to see from above but suitable for ground-dwelling insects. However, seed dispersal by insects was previously thought to ...

Chris Roh and his 4-year-old daughter have developed a sweet father-daughter ritual: Whenever they see a fluffy dandelion while they’re out walking, they pick up the flower and blow on it. But Roh is ...

Jan. 13 (UPI) --As ecosystems warm or dry out because of climate change, plants and animals are being forced to move in search of friendly conditions. Animals can swim, scamper and fly, but plants are ...

Over the past three millennia, selective breeding has dramatically widened the array of plant domestication traits. However, a close look at the archaeobotanical record illustrates a similar suite of ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. This rainforest tree solved one of evolution’s hardest ...