Many a holiday reveler has found romance under the mistletoe this time of year. Little do they know

Many a holiday reveler has found romance under the mistletoe this time of year. Little do they know that this parasitic, hemiparasitizing plant relies on the sticky poop of animals like the Australian Mistletoebird to climb up the tree trunks they leech to survive.“Mistletoes rely heavily on birds and mammals to distribute their seeds; in fact, 90 species of birds in 10 families are considered mistletoe specialists. The berries are brightly colored and covered in a sticky glue called viscin”Viscin is pretty interesting stuff! Though the mistletoe seeds are so sticky they will adhere themselves to bird’s beaks or, later, onto a branch to germinate, they can also pass through the rigors of the digestive tract intact. Thus, “even after its been pooped out, the seed can still stick to the nearest branch… or to another animal to ferry it elsewhere.” This is “due to mechanical properties of the cellulosic filaments in their sticky coating.”Its those same sticky, eye-catching berries that attract birds which compel humans to decorate with it around Christmastime! Who knew!Read more about the “Natural History of Mistletoe” here!Read more about viscin here! -- source link

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