When it comes to spreading their genetic material, trees definitely get creative. From hardy Mangrove propagules that can live up to a year at sea to explosive Sandbox capsules that launch seeds at speeds of up to 160 mph, it’s clear that they put a lot of energy into dispersal. To that end, many species have successfully lured other life forms into fulfilling their reproductive aspirations. One striking example of this can be found in Southeast Asia, where Orangutans aid dispersal by eating fruits whole, then expelling the seeds in their droppings. In one study, scientists found 828 seeds in one fecal sample! And because droppings create a nice, moist environment for the digested seeds, successful germination is much more likely. Clearly, they’ve earned their title “man of the forest.”

In recent decades, scientists have found that large predators play an essential role in protecting the ecosystems they call home. How do they do this? By keeping voracious herbivores in check! Consider the story of the wolves in Yellowstone National Park: in 1920, they disappeared completely due to aggressive hunting, and the entire ecosystem suffered. For 70 years, Elk herds increased their numbers exponentially by consuming the aspens, willows, and cottonwoods that lined streams. Vegetation declined and other wildlife species left. When the wolves were finally reintroduced, they kept the Elks on the move, and as a result, the trees were able to recover. When the trees recovered, their roots stabilized stream banks and slowed the flow of water through the ecosystem. Then, the other animals came back. All of this was made possible by returning the wolves to their rightful place home.

Because trees can live for centuries, they spend their lives in the slow lane. This allows them to grow strong and steady, developing thick bark and intricate root systems and storing massive amounts of carbon. It also leaves them vulnerable to voracious insects who work their way up their trunks, into their bark, and to the tips of branches where leaves stretch towards the sun. Thankfully, birds often step in to help, in a symbiotic relationship that fills their bellies with much-needed protein and saves trees from being eaten by species like leaf hoppers, caterpillars, and grasshoppers. Some birds, like chickadees, can consume up to 1,000 bugs a day! How’s that for natural pest control?

We’re all familiar with how vital bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are to pollination—and, therefore, our entire food supply. So important, in fact, that engineers have created mechanical bees as a safeguard against the total collapse of bee populations. But did you know that in some forests, 4-legged creatures have taken on this vital role? In Australia, adorable mouse-sized Honey Possums drink the nectar of Banksia and Eucalyptus flowers. Their long noses get dusted with pollen while they feed, which is then passed on to the next flower they visit. Does that give new meaning to the phrase “sticking your nose in other people’s business,” or what?

While this may sound counter-intuitive, sometimes eating trees is the best thing that an animal can do for a forest. In central Africa, Forest Elephants eat thinner, faster-growing trees, making room for their slower, denser counterparts to grow and thrive. In turn, these slower, denser trees store massive amounts of carbon and provide other ecosystem services with less competition for resources from other plants. We don’t know about you, but eating an entire tree, even if it is “small,” sounds like a tall order. Luckily, African Elephants are more than up to the task!

In Japan, Bears help Cherry trees by eating their fruit, germinating the pits inside their digestive systems, and then conveniently depositing them in piles of fresh fertilizer. How does this work? Their stomach acids and digestive enzymes wear down the cherry’s hard seed coats without harming the seeds, making them more permeable to water and, therefore, easier to sprout. Talk about giving back!

Trees everywhere depend on mutualistic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi. In return for protection within special mycorrhizal roots, the fungi procure scarce nutrients like phosphate and nitrogen and transfer them to their host tree. This, in turn, helps the trees to pull carbon from the atmosphere and transform it into sugars (energy) and oxygen. One well-studied species, Laccaria bicolor can be found in the birch, fir, and pine forests of North America. Without fungi, 85% of terrestrial ecosystems would be in serious trouble!