Mistletoe Is a Plant That Lives on Trees and Gains

Mistletoe is a plant that lives on trees and gains nutrition from them (that is, it is a parasite) . The fruit of the mistletoe is a one-seeded berry and is consumed by birds. In members of the genus Viscum, the outside of the seed is viscous (sticky) , which permits the seed to adhere to surfaces such as the branches of host plants or the beaks of birds. What should be expected of the fruit if the viscosity of Viscum seeds is primarily an adaptation for dispersal rather than an adaptation for infecting host plant tissues? The fruit ________.

A) is drab in color
B) is colored so as to provide it with camouflage
C) is nutritious to the dispersing organisms
D) secretes enzymes that can digest bark

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