My lad LOVES bugs, so reading about bugs works for us. :)
We read the following books"
Bugs by Lucy Bowman
Strange Bugs by Justin McCory Martin
Hey Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose
MOM, are there any plants that use bugs to move their seeds around?
I said, I don't think so but I don't know. I know birds and animals are used by plants, and people too, but I don't know about bugs.
So we looked it up.
Did you know that ants are beneficial in helping move seeds around?
Do Insects help with seed dispersal?
When it comes to insects, only the ants have been found to play significant roles in seed dispersal, in an interaction called myrmecochory. The few plants that use ants as seed dispersers produce seeds with an elaiosome – a tasty covering that ants love. The ants carry this seed back to the nest where they feed on the elaiosome, leaving the seed itself unharmed, and the seed lies dormant until conditions are ideal enough for germination.
And Elaisosome (Greek élaion "oil" and sóma "body") are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species. The elaiosome is rich in lipids and proteins, and may be variously shaped. Many plants have elaiosomes that attract ants, which take the seed to their nest and feed the elaiosome to their larvae.
Both of these definitions are from wiki.
Isn't it cool how God has plants and animals work together in such a beneficial way? Rather cool too, how we never would have learned this if I hadn't been hungry and needed to distract myself from food. :) God works in mysterious ways doesn't he?
There are over 3000 plants that use this technique to disperse their seeds.
Here is a study that goes into further detail.
It plays an important part in the lifecycle of cacti.
Just very very interesting. :) If this information is not in our study on Ants that we'll be doing later, I'll be sure to come back to it. :)