Who Keeps Spreading the Seeds of This Parasitic Plant?

A plant hedges its bets for genetic survival by spreading its seed in a variety of different manners—by wind, by water, and by animal. Featured VideoOn an island near Okinawa, a mushroom-like parasitic plant called fungus root (Balanophora fungosa) sprouts from the bases of trees. Still, the fungus root produces up to a million tiny seeds enclosed in dry fruits. They had figured that a likely candidate was ants, since some other Balanophora plants use ants for seed dispersal. Either way, the crabs and roaches did the job the fungus root plants needed—spreading their seeds far and wide.