What is fruit?

What is fruit?

• A. The part that conducts photosynthesis
• B. Protects seed and helps with dispersal
• C. The male gamete in flowering plants
• D. The site of water uptake

Answer: (B)

In plants, fruit is the mature ovary of a flower. Its main job is to protect the developing seeds inside and to help spread them to new locations. This protection and dispersal function explains why many fruits are tasty or colorful—animals eat the fruit and then carry the seeds elsewhere. The other descriptions aren’t fruits: something that conducts photosynthesis is typically a leaf or green stem; the male gamete in flowering plants is pollen; and the site of water uptake is the roots.

In plants, fruit is the mature ovary of a flower. Its main job is to protect the developing seeds inside and to help spread them to new locations. This protection and dispersal function explains why many fruits are tasty or colorful—animals eat the fruit and then carry the seeds elsewhere. The other descriptions aren’t fruits: something that conducts photosynthesis is typically a leaf or green stem; the male gamete in flowering plants is pollen; and the site of water uptake is the roots.