Seed dispersal

1. Seed dispersal

2. Acorns fall from the tree and sprout
•If they are not
destroyed by
animals, white
oak acorns
can sprout
rapidly after
falling from
the tree.

3. Animal dispersal by hooked
fruits
•Some species of
plant use hooks on
their fruits to attach
themselves to the
fur of mammals or
feathers of birds

4. Animal burial
•Hard nuts are usually
destroyed if chewed or eaten.
•However, animals such as
squirrels may store them to
eat later and forget to go back
to get them, giving them a
chance to germinate.
•On rare occasions, birds such
as blue jays can transport
acorns long distances.

5. Soft fruit dispersal
•Fleshy fruits
•The seeds of many
plants are dispersed
after passing
through the
digestive system of
animals that have
eaten the fleshy
fruits.

6. Wind dispersal
•Some plants,
such as the
dandelion,
have seeds
that act as
parachutes,
which are
carried away
by the wind

7. Plantlet reproduction
•Spider plants,
amongst others,
send out stems
which produce
plantlets, these
baby plants then
try to root
themselves

8. Spinning dispersal
•Maple fruits are
winged, two-
seeded
pods.They spin
like helicopters as
they fall from the
tree, providing a
longer time for
dispersal by wind.

9. Dispersal by water
•Coconuts can
travel hundreds of
miles by floating in
the sea