Fruits and Seeds a Fruit, by Its

Fruits and Seeds A fruit, by its very definition, is part of a flowering plant, primarily the ovaries. Most fruits are edible by which it is meant that they are safe for human and animal consumption. Fruit is one way in which the plant reproduces because an animal will eat the fruit and often the seeds with it. Either the seeds from the plant will then be planted from the animal's waste or the animal will leave the seeds from the plant in some location.

"The seeds are not fully digested, animals then disperse the seeds through their droppings. Some animals may also spit out the seeds while eating the fruit" (Mangaly 2012). From this point, the seed will embed itself in the ground, allowing it to produce a new plant which will grow into adulthood and produce seeds of its own. The first step in plant reproduction of fruits is the consumption of the product by an animal or insect.

Each fruit has a specific taste which is biologically designed to appeal to a consumer population. Humans who eat various fruits cannot help but notice that some are sweet in their flavor and that others are decidedly sour in taste. Chemical composition of the fruit is what gives the fruit its flavor. The reason for this is purely scientific. All fruits require transposition of the seeds in order to reproduce. To fulfill this aim, they must be consumed.

What taste is appealing to one member of the species may not be equally tasty to another member of the same species. The individual human being will have a chemical balance in the mouth which affects the taste of all foods (Kumar 2010). When a person eats a food, such as a fruit, the material reacts chemically with saliva among other things which has a direct correlation to the taste of the product.

Whether or not a fruit is considered to be sweet or to be sour is also heavily determined by the pH balance of the fruit (Stokes 2011). Those that are more acidic, which have a lower number on the pH skill will more likely be sour, such as lemons. However, those with a higher number will be less acidic and thus more likely to be sweet. Human beings have become a hindrance in the natural process of seed dispersal.

When humans eat fruit, they are more likely to throw the pit or inedible seeds into the garbage. From there, they will be taken to a landfill somewhere instead of allowing them to grow and develop into new plants (Wichmann 2008). Seeds that are consumed will find themselves in the sewer system. At any rate, neither type of seed will be allowed to take part in the reproductive process because of human intervention.

The human race interferes with the reproduction of grain plants as well because they subvert the natural process by throwing away refuse without consideration of future generations. The ripening of the fruit affects the dispersal of the seeds. Firstly, in order to reproduce, the plant must encourage its offspring to move away from the parent plant as much as possible. The ripening of the ovary separates the offspring physically from the parent plant (Mangaly 2012). There are two types of fruit; one is dehiscent and the other is nondehiscent.

Dehiscent fruits are ones where the seeds are on the outside of the fruit and they can become separated, such as strawberries. Nondehiscent fruits are those which the seed is a part of the fruit's structure like peaches or nectarines which have a hard pit in the center of the fruit which must be consumed or removed in order to access the seed. As the fruit ripens, chlorophyll is broken down. Additionally, chemical reactions within the fruit which increase the sugar content in the fruit and make foods sweeter (Namec 2008).

Ethylene, a hydrocarbon gas, forces the chemical change.