Seed & Fruit Dispersal
- Fruit and seed dispersal is required in order to distribute seeds away from the parent plant; this prevents overcrowding and reduces competition between offspring and the parent plant
- It may also serve as a way to colonise new habitats
- Methods of fruit and seed dispersal include:
- Wind
- Parachute- or wing-shaped, lightweight fruits and seeds have a large surface area which will ensure that it is easily transported by air currents
- Wind
Adaptations for wind dispersal diagram
Certain fruits and seeds are adapted to be transported by wind
-
- Animals
- Fleshy fruit that is often brightly coloured is eaten by animals
- The seeds will pass through the alimentary canal and leave the body in the faeces
- Sticky or hooked seeds catch on to the fur or feathers of passing animals
- Fleshy fruit that is often brightly coloured is eaten by animals
- Animals
Adaptations for animal dispersal diagram
Fruits and seeds of certain species have adaptations that allow them to be dispersed by animals
- Seed dispersal can often be confused with pollination
- Pollination is the transfer of pollen from anther to stigma, while seed dispersal is the distribution of mature seeds; both processes can involve wind or animals
Examiner Tip
Make sure that you can relate the features of wind- and animal dispersed fruits and seeds to the method by which they are dispersed away from the parent plant.