Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Author Spotlight: In Vitro Co-Culture System of Pine Shoots and Pinewood Nematode for Studying Host Volatile Response
Published on: September 27, 2024
Seed dispersal by nutcrackers causes multi-trunk growth form in pines
Yan B Linhart1, Diana F Tomback2
1Dept. of EPO Biology, University of Colorado, 80309, Boulder, CO, USA.
Abstract:
We present a unique example of a seed disperser determining the basic growth architecture of two species of plants. Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) is the primary disperser for Pinus flexilis and P. albicaulis, caching clusters of seeds in the process. Both pine species often occur in a multi-trunk growth form at maturity. Electrophoretic analysis based on 2 to 4 gene loci revealed that two or more trunks were genetically distinct individuals in twenty of the twenty-five multi-trunk trees sampled. This supports the hypothesis that several mature individuals can arise from single caches.
Related Concept Videos
Introduction to Seed Plants
Meristems and Plant Growth
Fruit Development, Structure, and Function
Primary and Secondary Growth in Roots and Shoots
Threats to Biodiversity
Types of Selection

