What happens if seeds are not dispersed

Adaptation is an evolutionary process that helps an organism make the most of its habitat. Seed dispersal is an example of adaptation. Fires are common in Australia, so some plants have adapted and become well suited to make the most of it. Mangrove trees have seeds that float, making the most of their watery environment.

Science is an attempt to explain the natural world. Evolution explores how groups of living things have changed over long periods of time, for example, how plants have developed different ways to disperse their seeds. Add to collection. Nature of science Science is an attempt to explain the natural world. Go to full glossary Add 0 items to collection.

Download 0 items. Twitter Pinterest Facebook Instagram. Email Us. See our newsletters here. If seeds are not dispersed, germinating seedlings will crowd the parent plant, competing for light, space, water and nutrients.

Seed shape and characteristics help determine the best method. Plants attract birds to their seeds with color and size, providing bright fruits or large nuts as a food source. The birds then disperse the seeds a number of ways. Once the seeds have contact with the soil, they might be able to germinate into a new generation of plants. However, there is a down-side to having large seeds. The larger and heavier the seed, the more difficult it becomes to disperse it effectively by wind, or explosive techniques.

All of these require light seeds. Seeds such as Foxglove are minute and are easily blown about by the wind. Larger wind-dispersed seeds are generally heavier and therefore require features such as parachutes or wings to help keep them aloft. For example, Dandelion seeds have developed very light and fluffy parachute-like structures. These help the seeds to float in the wind and delays their fall to the ground.

This delay allows the seeds to be carried further. The largest and heaviest wind-dispersed seeds, such as Sycamore cannot rely on hair-like parachutes to keep them airborne. They would have to be enormous to be effective. Instead they have developed a wing which causes them to spin through the air like mini helicopters. This again delays their fall. The biggest seeds of all cannot possibly be dispersed by the wind.

Large seeds such as nuts, are a valuable food for some animals.