Question

based on this excerpt, birds help more chili plants grow by
a carrying the seeds in their beaks to new places where more pepper plants will grow.
b keeping mammals away from the plants so that the peppers have time to ripen.
c eating the pepper seeds whole so when they excrete them the seeds can grow into new plants.
d smashing the seeds with their teeth which turns into fertilizer that helps new pepper plants grow.
people, mice, and other mammals feel the burn when they eat peppers. birds do not. why would peppers develop a way to keep mammals away but attract birds? it ensures the plants survival. mammals have teeth that smash seeds, destroying them. birds swallow pepper seeds whole. later, when birds poop, the intact seeds land in a new place. that lets the plant spread.

Explanation:

The text states that birds swallow pepper seeds whole and when they excrete, the intact seeds land in a new place. This process helps the chili plants spread and grow. Option A is incorrect as the text mentions seeds are swallowed whole and excreted, not carried in beaks. Option B is wrong as the text focuses on seed dispersal via bird excretion, not keeping mammals away for ripening. Option D is incorrect because it's mammals (not birds) that smash seeds; birds excrete intact seeds.

Answer:

C. eating the pepper seeds whole so when they excrete them the seeds can grow into new plants.