= Seed dispersal syndrome
A <seed dispersal syndrome> is a combination of <seed> or <fruit> traits associated with a mode of <seed dispersal>. Wings can favor transport by <wind>, while fleshy <fruits> can attract <animals> that later deposit the enclosed <seeds>. The traits generate a hypothesis about likely transport, not direct proof of the agent responsible for every dispersal event.
A comparative study connecting <fruit> traits with observed disperser networks found that morphological traits better supported broad groups of dispersing <birds>, terrestrial <mammals> and bats than chemical or display traits did.<Fleshy fruit traits and seed dispersers: which traits define syndromes? by Tobias Nicolas Rojas and others>[Annals of Botany 129, pp. 831–838; trait groups and disperser functional types]{ref} Direct observations remain valuable because removal of a <fruit>, deposition of a viable <seed> and establishment after <germination> are different stages of successful <seed dispersal>.
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