The Parachute Seed

There are three ways that seeds are dispersed around the world which are wind, water, and animals. Some plant’s seeds and fruits can harness wind currents of the earth, with a chance to carry on the species. Many of these plants are considered weeds. They can use methods similar to parachutes, helicopters, and even gliders.

A glyder is a type of seed which disperses the seed in an airplane like fashion. They are designed to have a seed in the middle of the wing that allows it to glide through the air like an airplane, and away from its parent. An example of this is the tropical Asian climbing gourd Alsomitra Macrocarpa. The Parachute seed has a parachute like shape in which many intricately-branched hairs reside, which can slow the descent

Tropical trees that live on beaches, such as Coconut trees, have seeds that have waterproof coverings that keep them floating on water for long periods of time. Once the seed gets to a source of water such as a river or stream, they may go many miles until being dropped off at a shoreline far from the parent tree. Plants also may have thorns on their seeds which adds a velcro type attachment to animal such as the sticky weed. Once the seed is tangled in the fur, it will be carried to new location until the seed falls lose. Also some seeds like acorns from a Oak tree have fleshy fruits in which squirrels eat, and then later it comes out the other end in a different location.

For this lab, students tested the abilities of the Helicopter method of seed dispersion, and attempted to see how effective this method of wind dispersion really is. The lab chose the wind method of dispersion because it is something students can test effectively compared to water, and animals. Furthermore, since KHS High school has two floors, students have the ability to simulate a tree dropping a seed with dropping homemade black eyed peas from the 2nd story to the 1st story with

The average medium length blade distance from the drop point is 58 centimeters, and the average distance for the large length blade was 46 centimeters from the drop point, which shows that the medium blade length is optimal for the chance of a species survival. Even though the larger blade length seeds can stay in the air longer, the plants survival does not depend on air time, it depends on the ability to spread the seed as far as possible. A species with a seed that has a medium blade will spread further, and reach more land in a short amount of time. This lab contains many flaws that could have tampered with the results, such as the fact that there was no wind, the seeds could still slide across the floor once it had impacted the ground, and the height of where the seeds were dropped may not be accurate to a real tree. There is also more questions to be asked about this lab, would the width of the helicopter blade matter? Would the type of paper we use change the results? The sources for the information are No, Name. “Dispersal of Seeds by Animals.” Dispersal of Seeds by Animals, 5 June 2013, theseedsite.co.uk/sdanimal.html. and The University of, Waikato. “Seed Dispersal.” Science Learning Hub, 2 Feb. 2014,