SEED DISPERAL NOTES
Seed Dispersal: the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant
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Types of dispersal
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Autochory: dispersed by plant own means
o Gravity: heavier fruits cause them to fall and sometimes later
be dispersed by water or animals
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Allochory
o Wind – seeds can float on a breeze or flutter to the ground
o Water – seeds can travel long distances
o Animals
 On the exterior of animal (fur)
 Ingestion – mechanism for most tree species (mostly by
birds & mammels)
 Seed predators – squirrels and birds hoard seeds in
caches where they can grow
o humans – shoes, clothes, cars, ships
 can lead to invasive species
 control biological populattions
Consequences of Seed Dispersal
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species diversity
species migration
essential for forest migration
http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/seed.html