Fruit: Nature's Candy
Most people, and many animals around the world, love to eat fruit. But why are some fruits sweet and some sour, whereas others have no specific taste? Well it all has to do with the amount of glucose (sugar) and acid is given in a single fruit. More glucose equals more sweet, while more acid equals more sour. In most fruits, when the fruit is new, or raw, the more acid it has in it. But as it matures, the acid leaves and glucose is formed, making it more sweet. For example are bananas, which start out hard and a bit sour. But as it ripens, the starch is changed into sweet glucose. Though some fruit, like oranges, have an almost equal amount of glucose and acid, creating a deliciously tangy flavor. Others who lack flavor simply lack glucose or acids. Also, 2 of the same fruit rarely taste exactly the same, for example 2 apples. The reason is due to many variations such as soil, weather, manure, and quality of water (GeminiGeek, 2012).
Sure we love to eat fruit, but what purpose does fruit serve the plant that makes it? Reproduction of course! In fruit there are seeds, and the fruit is the means of dispersal. But how does the ripening of fruit affect the process of seed dispersal? First we must understand that there are two types of fruit: dehiscent and nondehiscent fruits. The first kind set their seeds free when the fruit ripens and opens, being fruit that remains itself part of the mother plant. While nondehiscent fruits fall off the plant, such as berries and nuts. These can be eaten, and the waste product from the creature who ate it is not only dispersed, but is surrounded in natural fertilizer. Then there are fruit that has odd shapes that may give flight to seeds on the wind, or fruit that has spikes that get caught in animals fur for further dispersion. In the end, it is the ripe fruit that becomes the taxi of the