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Epilobium hirsutum seed head dispersing seeds. In spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. [1] Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors, such as the wind, and living vectors such as birds.
Afzelia africana seeds bearing elaiosomes Chelidonium majus diaspores consisting of hard-coated seeds and attached elaiosomes. Myrmecochory (/ m ɜːr m ɪ ˈ k ɒ k ɔː r i / (sometimes myrmechory); [1] from Ancient Greek: μύρμηξ, romanized: mýrmēks ("ant") and χορεία khoreíā ("circular dance") is seed dispersal by ants, an ecologically significant ant–plant interaction ...
More than one dispersal vector (abiotic or biotic) is thought to be involved in the majority of seed dispersal events (on average 2.15 dispersal vectors in Dutch ecosystems). [2] Seeds may be transported in turn by various animal or abiotic mechanisms such as wind or water.
A diaspore of seed plus elaiosome is a common adaptation to seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory). This is most notable in Australian and South African sclerophyll plant communities. [1] Typically, ants carry the diaspore to their nest, where they may eat the elaiosome and discard the seed, and the seed may subsequently germinate.
Epilobium hirsutum — Seed head. In the broadest sense, dispersal occurs when the fitness benefits of moving outweigh the costs. There are a number of benefits to dispersal such as locating new resources, escaping unfavorable conditions, avoiding competing with siblings, and avoiding breeding with closely related individuals which could lead to inbreeding depression.
Seeds have evolved traits to reward animals to enhance their dispersal abilities. [5] Differing foraging behaviours of animals can lead to selection of dispersal traits and spatial variation [3] [8] such as increase in seed size for mammal dispersal, which can limit seed production. [9]
Acorns are too heavy for wind dispersal, so they require other ways to spread. Oaks therefore depend on biological seed dispersal agents to move the acorns beyond the mother tree and into a suitable area for germination (including access to adequate water, sunlight and soil nutrients), ideally a minimum of 20–30 m (70–100 ft) from the ...
In leptosporangiate ferns, the fern catapults its spores 1-2 cm so they can be picked up by a second dispersal vector, often the wind. [4]Autochory is the dispersal of diaspores, which are dispersal units consisting of seeds or spores, using only the energy provided by the diaspore or the parent plant. [5]