Seed dispersal in Neuwiedia singapureana: novel evidence for avian endozoochory in the earliest diverging clade in Orchidaceae.

The thickened and lignified seed coat may protect seeds as they passed through the digestive tracts of birds. Taken together with a recent report of insect-mediated seed dispersal system in the subfamily Apostasioideae, the animal-mediated seed dispersal may be an adaptive mechanism promoting the success of colonization in dark understory habitats.