And the unique and fascinating plants living there are a universe away from the cars and streets and affairs that fill our time. Weeds are the most dynamic members of the botanical world. The many ways they disperse their seeds and smite their competitors are often unexpected and enlightening....
The dispersal process that involves birds carrying plant propagules in their bills is called stomatochory, a type of synzoochory (van der Pijl, 1982). Dyszoochory is the process whereby diaspores are destroyed (eaten and digested), but some of the seeds are accidentally dropped, thus ...
Fruiting bodies of all kinds function to protect and disperse the seeds they contain. Protection can be physical (hard coverings) or chemical (repellents of seed predators). Sweet, fleshy fruits are attractive food for birds and mammals that consume seeds along with the fruit and pass the seeds...
Parthenocissus quinquefoliais an invasive and non-native vine that pops up in gardens and hedgerows seemingly from nowhere. The name means ‘virgin ivy with five leaves’. The berries are rapidly eaten by the birds in the autumn, so they obviously disperse the seed. But the creeper will also...
This plant has yellow-green flowers with four petals. The fruit is a black drupe, around ten millimeters in size with up to four seeds. The leaves and seeds are mildly poisonous to humans and animals. They are often eaten by birds who disperse the seeds in their droppings. In 1994, this...
As the plant matures, it takes on a purple-reddish hue, after which it turns crispy and light brown as the seeds disperse. The stiff awns remain on the seeds and aid in dispersal. They also cause injury to animals that dare consume them, poking into the soft tissues of their mouths. ...
ByMartin M Barillas A loss of biodiversity among the birds and mammals that disperse seeds endangers plants necessary for human life, according to a new study. Half of all plants rely on animals to spread their seeds. An international team of researchers determined the extent of...
–Plants employ various mechanisms for pollination, including wind, insects, birds, bats, and even small mammals. –Flowers have developed unique shapes, colors, and fragrances to attract specific pollinators. 14.Seed Dispersal –Plants disperse their seeds through different methods, such as wind, ...
ensuring germination can occur when growth conditions are optimal. Seeds therefore allow plants to disperse the next generation through both space and time. With such evolutionary advantages, seed plants have become the most successful and familiar group of plants, in part because of their size and...
Half of all plant species rely on animals toscatter their seedsthrough hitchhiking in scat, fur, or beaks. When animal populations decline, so does the ability plants have to disperse their seeds and adapt to climate change. Against the backdrop of a ...