evo传播种子是一个重要的过程lution and ecology of terrestrial plants, making discoveries of uncommon seed dispersal agents particularly interesting. Researchers had previously been puzzled about how the seeds of the non-photosynthetic, mushroom-likeBalanophoraplants, which have some of the smallest fruits among angiosperms, were dispersed. Suetsugu & Hashiwaki observed feeding marks onBalanophora yuwanensisplants on Amami-Oshima Island in Japan, which they suspected were made by the Amami rabbit.

To investigate this hypothesis, Suetsugu & Hashiwaki conducted a study in the understory of dense forests on Amami-Oshima. Using infrared-triggered cameras, they observed that the Amami rabbit was the main consumer ofB. yuwanensisfruit. In addition, all Amami rabbit fecal samples collected in the field contained at least some viableB. yuwanensisseeds, providing novel evidence of the illusive rabbit species' role as a seed dispersal agent.Balanophora yuwanensisis a host-specific obligate parasite, which means that efficient seed transportation likely requires the seed to be deposited near the roots of a compatible host. The Amami rabbit may facilitate this through digging and defecating underground in burrows.

Intriguingly,the Amami rabbitis a seed dispersal agent for B. yuwanensiseven though the plant produces dry fruits, whereas seed dispersers are typically incentivized by fleshy fruits. The rare rabbit species consumed both dry fruits and vegetative tissue fromB. yuwanensis.This is notable because the potential role of rabbits as seed dispersers has largely been overlooked due to their diet, which primarily consists of leaves rather than fruits. However, this study reveals thatthe Amami rabbitserves as a major seed disperser forB. yuwanensis, incentivized by the plant's vegetative tissue.

This research also highlights the previously unrecognized ecological role of the endangered Amami rabbitas a seed dispersal agent, and suggests that the species may have other functions yet to be discovered.

Glossary

^*1Balanophora yuwanensis:Balanophora yuwanensisis often considered the same species asB. yakushimensis, which is found on Yakushima Island in Japan. However,B. yakushimensisseems to live on different plants depending on where it is found. On Yakushima it lives on one type of plant, but on Amami-Oshima Island and Taiwan it lives on other plants. This may mean thatB. yakushimensiss.l.is made up of several different species. Therefore, here we use the scientific nameB. yuwanensisto clarify that our ecological data came from theBalanophoraplants on Amami-Oshima Island.