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Morphology 19

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14 views8 pages

Morphology 19

Uploaded by

wofkavyxorgse
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SEED DISPERSAL

This is the movement, scattering,


transport or spread of seed away
from the parent plant to a new
location. It is a means of survival
and it prevents overcrowding and
competition for light, water and
nutrients Since plants cannot
walk around and take their seeds
to other places, they have
developed other methods to
disperse (move) their seeds,
these includes both abiotic
vectors such as the wind and
biotic vectors like birds. Some of
the means of dispersal are: wind,
water, animals, explosion and fire
Wind dispersal: it is a means of
dispersing seeds that are light
and have feathery bristles. The
seeds are shaped to float, glide
or spin, as such they can be
carried
over long distances by the wind.
Some plants have winged seeds
e.g. maple trees which enable
ease of transportation by wind.
The seeds are blown about and
land in all kinds of places. To
help their chances that at least
some of the seeds land in a
place suitable for growth, these
plants have to produce lots of
seeds.

Water dispersal
Many plants have seeds that use
water as a means of dispersal.
The seeds float away from the
parent plant. Most of the plants
are found on stream banks.
Animal dispersal
Most of the fleshy fruit that is
eaten by birds have their seed
carried about and deposited in
different places. Birds often carry
such fruits and fly far away from
the parent plant and disperse the
seeds in their droppings.
Some other seeds have hooks or
barbs that can attach onto an
animal’s fur, feathers or skin.
Some other have sticky seeds
that can be carried away by
birds. Humans can also spread
seeds if they get stuck to our
clothing or get thrown away after
consuming the fruits.
Explosions/Bursting
This method of seed dispersal
isn’t quite as exciting as it may
sound. Some plants, like peas,
gorse and flax, have seedpods
that dry out once the seeds are
ripe. When dry, the pods split
open and the seeds scatter. If
you’re lucky, on a hot summer
day when you walk by a gorse
bush, you will hear the gorse
seedpods popping open.

Adaptation for seed dispersal


Adaptation is an evolutionary
process that helps an organism
make the most of its habitat.
Seed dispersal is an example of
adaptation. so some plants have
adapted and become well suited
to make the most of it. Mangrove
trees have seeds that float,
making the most of their watery
environment.
Wind: seeds are shaped to float,
glide or spin through the air.
They may be hairy light and have
wings or parachute-like structure.
Water: plants growing near a
river may use the flowing water
to transport their seeds. Seeds
must be light and buoyant (float)
Explosion: seed with pods having
sutures are designed to explode
and throw the seeds a good
distance from the parent plant.
Animal: the type of seed that will
be dispersed by this means may
have handy hooks which attach
to an animal’s fur or the plants
might have tasty fruit to enclose
the seeds, which attract animals
to eat them.

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