ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I take this opportunity as a blessing in disguise

to express my profound gratefulness to the
principal Sr.MERCY and my biology professor
Dr.LOKESH.G.H. for the constant source of
inspiration and guidance for the completion of
this project. I also thank my parents for their
cooperation.

By:-

GAGAN.G.S
12TH
ST.MARYS SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL

TUMKUR.

CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGE
INTRODUCTION
AIM
MATERIALS RECQUIRED
PROCEDURE
OBSERVATION
PHOTO GALLERY
BIBLIOGRAHY

INTRODUCTION
Seed dispersal is the movement or
transport of seed away from the parent
plant. Plants have very limited mobility
and consequently rely upon a variety of
dispersal vector to transport their
propagules, including both abiotic and
biotic component vectors. Seeds can be
dispersed away from the parent plant
individually or collectively, as well as
dispersed in both space and time. The
patterns of seed dispersal are determined
in large part by the dispersal mechanism
and this has important implications for the
demographic and genetic structure of
plant populations, as well as migration
patterns and species interactions. There
are five main modes of seed dispersal:
gravitation, wind, ballistic, water, and by
animals. Some plants serotinous and only
disperse their seeds in response to an
environmental stimulus.

AIM
TO STUDY THE DISPERSAL OF
SEEDS BY VARIOUS AGENCIES.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: Different Types Of Seeds and

Fruits
Knife
Forceps
Petri dish
Hand lens

EXPERIMENTAL
PROCEDURE:i. Collect different types of seeds and
observe their features carefully,
classify them according to their
mode of disposal.
ii. Cut open the fruits, note down the
features of their seeds and classify
them according to their mode of
dispersal.
iii. Record your observation in the form
of a table

SEED DISPERSAL

Plants make seeds that can grow into new

plants, but if the seeds just fall to the ground
under the parent plant, they might not get
enough sun, water or nutrients from the soil.
Because plants cannot walk around and take
their seeds to other places, they have
developed other method to disperse their
seeds. The most common methods are wind,
water, animals, explosion and fire.

WIND DISPERSAL
Have you
ever blown on a DANDELION head and
watched the seeds float away? This is WIND
DISPERSAL. Seeds from plants like dandelions,
swan plants and cottonwood trees are light
and have feathery bristles and can be carried
long distance by the wind. Some plants, like
KAURI and MAPPLE trees have winged seeds.

They dont float away but flutter to the ground.

With wind dispersal, the seeds are simply
blown about the land in all kinds of places. To
help their chances that at least some of the
seeds land in place suitable for growth, these
plants have to produce lots of seeds.

WATER DISPERSAL
Many plants have seeds that use water as a
means of dispersal. The seeds float away from
the parent plant. Mangrove trees in estuaries.
If a mangrove seed falls during low tide, it
begin to root in the soil. If the seeds fall in
water, they are carried away by the tide to
grow somewhere else. KOWHAI trees also use
water dispersal. They have a hard seed coat
that allows them to float down streams and
rivers. That is one of the reason why KOWHAI
trees are commonly found on stream banks.

ANIMAL DISPERSAL

Over 70% of plants in woody forest in NEW

ZEALAND have fleshy fruit that is eaten by
birds. Birds often fly far away from the parent
plant and disperse the seeds in their
droppings.
Some seeds have hooks or barbs that catch on
animal fur, feathers or skin. Plants like
pittosporum have sticky seeds that can be
carried away by birds.

EXPLOSION
This method of seed dispersal isnt it quite as
exciting as it may sound. Some plants, like
peas, gorse and flax have seedpods that dry
out once the seed are ripe. When dry, the pods
split open and the seeds scatter. If youre, on a
hot summer day when you walk by a gorse
bush, you will hear the gorse seedpods
popping open.

My investigation different
Types of plants/trees
1) FIRE CRACKER FLOWER
SCIENTIFIC NAME:CROSSANDRA INFUNDIBULIFORMS

TYPE OF PLANT:It is an erect evergreen sub-shrub growing to

1m {3ft 3in} with glossy, wavy margined
leaves and fan shaped flowers, which may
appear at any time through the year.

TYPE OF FLOWER:The flowers are unusually shaped with 3 to 5

asymmetrical. Flower color ranged from
orange to salmon-orange or apricot, coral to
red yellow and even turquoise.

TYPEOF DISPERSAL:BY AUTOCHORY/SELF EXPLOSION

FEATURES OF SEEDS:

Light in weight
Matured seeds burst

PICTORIAL VIEW

:-VIEW OF THE
PLANT

:-CLOSER VIEW OF
THE FLOWER

:-DRIED SEEDS