Essay On Seed Dispersal Experiment

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Seed Dispersal

The experiment will be investigating how seeds are dispersed by nature. Seed dispersal is the transportation of seeds from their parent plants. Plants are not mobile, therefore seed dispersal is necessary to transport their seeds. Seed dispersal is important because if the seeds are not scattered, then the seeds will grow near parent plants, thus resulting in competition for light, water, space, and nutrients. Seed dispersal also helps reduce predation for the seed. Predators tend to direct towards areas of high concentration. Seeds can be dispersed in four ways. First, seeds can be dispersed by wind. Seeds with feathery bristles can be carried long distances by the wind, while some seeds are carried freely. Sometimes wind dispersal is not as effective as other dispersal methods, so plants need to produce a great quantity of seeds. Second, seeds can be dispersed by water. Plants that grow near a body of water often rely on water for transportation of their seeds. Some seeds produced by tropical plants can be carried thousands of miles. Plants like the willow produce seeds underwater, while plants like the water mint produce seeds on land. Third, seeds can be dispersed by animals. Animals will eat the fruits, and deposit the seeds in their droppings miles away. Another way animals disperse …show more content…

For the experiment, the seed will be taped to the structure and dropped from the second floor. The seed should be dropped straight down and the airtime should be measured from the drop to the point of first touching the ground. The surrounding environment should not influence the experiment in any way. The data recorded is the time in the air (airtime), and the distance from the point of first touching the ground. The control group in the experiment is the seed dropped without the structure which aids in the dispersal

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