ALL ABOUT SEED DISPERSAL OR SPREAD
HOW DO SEEDS TRAVEL??
Species that survive are species that reproduce and spread. Plants can't walk, so in order to spread, flowering plants need ways
to get their seeds to new locations. Jan 16, 2007 Violet Snow from http://botany.suite101.com/article.cfm/seed_dispersal
SEEDS use a number of different strategies to TRAVEL! Many plants use wind or water to carry their
seeds, which are attached to fine, fluffy fibers that act as parachutes. Milkweed and thistle are among the
plants whose seeds fly through the air. Trees such as willow, which grow along streams, drop their seeds
into the water where the current carries them to new spots.
Hitchhikers have little hooks attached to the seed, so that they can grab onto the fur of passing animals or
the clothes of people. Burdock burrs, in fact, were the inspiration for the invention of Velcro.
Then there are the leapers, seeds that bounce or jump away from the plant. Jewelweed and witch hazel
have seed cases that dry out. Then, the slightest touch causes the case to burst and send seeds through
the air. Black walnuts have spongy hulls so that they bounce and roll away from the tree.
What we think of as fruits are actually seeds surrounded by sweet pulp that animals like to eat. Animals often travel
and take their food to a safer location . The pit is dropped far from the plant. If the seeds are small, they are
swallowed whole and then excreted, usually far from the parent plant. Many acorns buried by squirrels are never
retrieved. These acorns eventually sprout, and some grow into trees.
IMAGES BELOW FROM: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/plfeb99.htm