Discover the different ways plants spread their seeds.
NARRATOR: A seed contains everything a new plant needs to start growing. The moment a seed starts to grow is called ‘Germination’.
Some people plant seeds in pots or in gardens to germinate. Plants in the wild have many different ways of scattering their seeds, this is called ‘Dispersal’. The wind disperses lots of seeds that are light or can catch the breeze. But only some find a good spot to germinate.
Some plants use water to disperse seeds that float. These seeds can be carried downstream to new germination spots. Some seeds grow, safely protected in fruit. When animals or birds eat the fruit they also swallow the seeds. So when…that happens, the seed is dropped somewhere new.
Some seeds get tangled or stuck in fur or feathers, then fall off later in a different place.
Seeds are dispersed in amazingly different ways so the next generation of plants can grow and flourish.
Seed dispersal
Plants disperse their seeds in lots of different ways. Some seeds are transported by the wind and are shaped to float, glide or spin through the air.
Plants growing near a river may use the flowing water to transport their seeds.
Some seed pods are designed to explode and throw the seeds a good distance from the parent plant.
Many plants also use animals to carry their seeds. This type of seed may have handy hooks which attach to an animal’s fur. Alternatively, the plants might make tasty fruit to enclose the seeds, which attract animals to eat them.
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