Trees of the genus Pisonia are not your average tree. They seem like something that would be at home in Middle Earth, or maybe Harry Potter’s wizarding world. The genus is not fully understood, even as new species are periodically discovered. Found in tropical habitats, mainly islands in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific, Pisonia trees resemble any typical large, tropical tree. Typical, that is, until you notice the bones.
Pisonia trees are faced with a conundrum. Dispersing seeds any distance requires transporting them to other islands. But how? They hijack birds. Most Pisonia trees, especially Pisonia Grandisin the Indo-Pacific region, are found almost exclusively on islands that host large colonies of seabirds such as terns, noddies, or boobies. The birds nest nearby, or even in, the trees. The trees, in turn, flourish in the special soil made acidic by copious guano deposits.
The birds get the worse end of this deal. Pisonia trees produce extremely sticky seeds, which grow in large and tangled bunches. The bunches may be all over the tree, so a bird flying near or through a tree will likely brush against a bunch of the the sticky seeds. Large numbers of the seeds stick to the bird’s feathers, and they are so sticky that it is difficult for the birds to remove them. Eventually the seeds fall off, =read more
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