A dispersal structure has meaning in combination with a transport process. A wing affects aerodynamic behaviour; a hook provides mechanical attachment; buoyancy can allow water transport. Some seeds have several possible vectors or rely on animals eating fruits. The model isolates selected mechanisms without suggesting that plants choose destinations or that dispersal guarantees a new adult plant. External attachment and internal carriage are different routes; intact swallowed seeds can be deposited in animal droppings.
Plants, animals and ecosystems · Discover & try
How can a seed travel away from its parent?
Reading level 4 of 5 · FluentChange
Word help
dispersal
Movement away from the place a seed formed.
buoyancy
The support that can allow an object to float in a fluid.
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Selected dispersal mechanisms with imagined paths; no real travel distances or germination success are predicted.
What to look for
- Structures interact with carriers
- Several routes can exist
- Arrival does not guarantee growth
Explain what you noticed
A bird eats berries, then passes intact seeds in its droppings away from the plant. Which dispersal route does this show?
Keep this idea: Match a structure with a possible carrier, then distinguish travel from establishment.
Follow the sources
- U.S. Forest Service — Woody Plant Seed Manual: Seed Biology
- U.S. Forest Service — Seed Dispersal: Weed Wackers Educators Guide
- USDA Forest Service — Seed Dispersal by Animals
Source material checked 2026-10-28. Explanations and activities by Nepedia. Source links do not imply endorsement.
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