16/09/2026
Věděli jste, že vlci jedí borůvky? 🤓👇
Wolves may be playing an unexpected but important role in the growth of blueberries. In many ecosystems, wolves consume fruits when available, though the impact of wolf consumption on seeds remains unknown. In a new study, researchers extracted and grew blueberry seeds from wolf scats and fresh fruits. They found that seeds passed through wolf digestive tracts germinated quicker and more successfully than control seeds, suggesting blueberries receive positive benefits passing through wolf guts. This result, combined with wolves’ propensity to travel long distances, indicates wolves are likely effective long-distance dispersers of blueberry seeds. The findings reveal another way wolves are likely connected to larger ecological processes in boreal ecosystems, and possibly other ecosystems where wolves consume fruits.
Read the article in Biology Letters:
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2026.0279
Image credit: Voyageurs Wolf Project
