Pisonia: The Tree That Kills Birds | Amusing Planet
The Pisonia tree’s grisly behavior has a devastating effect on the bird population. A study conducted on seabird population on Cousin Island in Seychelles revealed that the Pisonia tree killed a quarter of White Terns and nearly a tenth of Tropical Shearwaters via fatal seed entanglement. Scientists have wondered if there is any evolutionary benefit derived by the Pisonia tree by killing birds. One hypothesis stated that the trees get increased nutrients from the decomposition of bird corpses that fall at the foot of the trees. But when Alan Burger, an ecologist at the University of Victor...