A novel seed dispersal mode of could provide some clues to the early evolution of the seed dispersal system in Orchidaceae.

Despite being one of the most diverse families, scant attention has been paid to the seed dispersal system in Orchidaceae, owing to the widely accepted notion that wind dispersal is the dominant strategy. However, the indehiscent fruits, with seeds immersed in fleshy tissue, evoke the possibility of endozoochory in Apostasioideae, the earliest diverging lineage of orchids. In the present study, I investigated the seed dispersal system of by direct observation, time-lapse photography, and investigation of the viability of seeds passing through the digestive tract of orthopterans.