Why are cranberries and many other berries sour? Detailed answer

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Why are cranberries and many other berries sour? Detailed answer

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Why are cranberries and many other berries sour?

Most plants with very acid fruits are spread by birds. Getting to them in the digestive tract, the seeds are subjected to harsh chemical treatment. First, they must pass through the stomach with hydrochloric acid, then through the intestines with an alkaline environment. And all this at temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius!

Acidic pulp, once in the stomach, reduces the production of hydrochloric acid, since the nerves responsible for its secretion react to the general acidity in the stomach. And the acid of the fruit itself is not dangerous for its seeds. When passing into the intestines, the acid neutralizes the alkali, so the seeds have the opportunity to safely avoid digestion and, having passed the intestines of the bird, ascend.

The mammalian digestive system works in the same way, but with the difference that there are less acids and alkalis, the temperature is usually lower and the seeds are more likely to remain intact. Then the increase in the number of sour fruits to the north becomes clear - there are fewer large mammals there, and more birds. Plants with small seeds must adapt to being eaten by birds.

You can, of course, grow a very strong shell that is indigestible. But then the seeds will become large, their number in a small fruit, respectively, will decrease, and the ability of the species to spread will decrease.

In the north of Russia, only large plants with relatively large fruits have hard seeds, mainly trees and shrubs - hawthorn, raspberries, blackberries. But such seeds for the plant are not quite convenient: without processing in the bird's intestines, a dense shell does not allow the seeds to germinate.

This has been proven in an experiment: hawthorn seeds were buried in the ground, protecting them from birds and rodents, and they almost did not sprout. And nearby, self-sowing, which has undergone bird processing, amicably ascended.

Author: Kondrashov A.P.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Why are male birds brighter than female birds?

In order to understand why this happens, we must first understand why birds need color at all?

Many explanations have been given about this, but science has not yet fully resolved this issue. The reason for the difficulty is that some birds have unusual, multi-colored plumage, while others do not. Some are like bright banners, while others are hard to notice.

All we can do is try to find a few rules that are true for most birds. One of them is that birds with bright plumage spend most of their time in the tops of trees, in the air or on the water. Nondescript birds live on or near the ground.

Another rule, but with many exceptions, is that the upper parts of the birds are darker than the lower parts.

These facts led science to suggest that the color of the plumage plays a protective role so that the birds are as inconspicuous as possible to their enemies. This is called "protective coloring". The color of the snipe perfectly camouflages them in the grass of the swamps where they live. The coloring of woodcocks is very similar to fallen leaves.

But since colors protect birds, who needs it more - a male or a female? Of course, the female, since she hatches eggs in the nest. Therefore, nature gave it a more nondescript color in order to better protect it from enemies.

Another reason for the bright plumage in males is that it helps to attract a female during the mating season. Then the color of the males becomes the brightest. Even birds, as you can see, love at first sight!

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