The seed dispersal it is a process that occurs naturally after planting. This procedure consists of the movement and arrangement of the seeds with the sole purpose of finding and looking for the best circumstances for their growth and development..
Depending on the plant, its optimal conditions for flowering will be different. There are some types that cannot be close to other plants because between them, the nutrients necessary for development are stolen, in addition to light.
It is important to mention that the seeds function as an entity that allows the growth and birth of new plants and, in turn, their fruits..
It can be compared to the birth of a human baby, where the seed resembles the embryo or the bag in which it keeps the new life. Before producing fruit, a plant must flower and have a certain growth time.
Each seed has a structure and a small part called the diaspora and it is the main one in charge of seed dispersal. The diaspora varies depending on the plant and while in some it can be the size of a dust particle, in others it can weigh up to 25 kilograms.
Seed dispersal can be done in different ways and forms. In the first case, the seeds are dispersed by the wind; this is called anemocoria.
In other cases, the dispersion of the seeds occurs by the force of water, by the help of animals (zoocoria) or by propulsion or movement of the seed (autocoria).
Once it is clear that seed dispersal consists of moving them away from the "mother" plant to avoid growth conflicts and that each one can receive the appropriate nutrients, sunlight and vitamins, we will explain what the different ones are. types of seed dispersal and what each of these processes consists of.
This type of seed dispersal generally occurs with those that have a lower weight and are lighter. As their name implies, they are moved by the wind and carried as far as possible from the original plant..
In its structure, this type of seeds have a kind of parachute that when moving, allows them to fly and fall in a correct way and move them as far as possible..
There are other types of plants that instead of having those "parachutes" in their diasporas, they have a kind of wings that work more or less like a helicopter.
The advantage of this type of seed dispersal is that they can actually be carried long distances.
However, the problem is that during this process, many seeds can be lost and fall into infertile lands, where in the end they will not produce fruit or grow..
An example of plants that have seeds dispersed by the action of the wind are the well-known dandelions and all plants in the Asteraceae family.
Just as dispersion by wind occurs in the less heavy seeds, the dispersal of seeds by water occurs specifically in those diasporas and plants that have a natural habitat near some aquatic environment such as ponds, rivers, beaches.
Plants take advantage of their natural proximity to water and use it as a natural tool to move their seeds and obtain better growth and development..
The process begins when the original plants, the progenitors, create some seed and it falls into the water. The seed remains floating in the water and moving constantly until one day it reaches a medium where it can grow..
The disadvantage of this type of dispersal is the same as the previous one: the seeds can reach an infertile land where they simply do not have the necessary nutrients for their development and will die..
A perfect example of the plants that disperse their seeds by the movement of water are coconut trees..
On the other hand, there is the dispersal of seeds by help and movement of the animals. This occurs mostly with animals that are frugivores (subgroup of herbivores).
Your digestive system processes food without problems, without causing havoc to the seeds of these fruits. Some time later they are excreted and thanks to this, the role of moving away from their "parent" plants is fulfilled..
This way of dispersing the seeds is considered to be safer than the previous ones and the plant has a greater chance of survival..
Another way to disperse seeds through the action of animals is when they adhere (unconsciously) to their fur, feathers or legs. When the animal moves and is transported, it takes the seed with it and leaves it far from where it got it.
Olives or fleshy fruits (such as peaches, tomatoes, strawberries, among others) are an example of plants that carry out the dispersal of their seeds by zoocoria.
Finally, there is a type of seed dispersal that is carried out by its own action and without the help of any type of external force. This is known as autocoria..
In these cases, what happens is that when the plant matures, it explodes like a kind of bomb and, in turn, the seeds that these fruits have are carried away and with the possibility of growing, maturing and developing without inconvenience..
Generally, what happens is that as the fruits grow so much, forces or a kind of tension accumulate that gives it all the propulsion to “explode” and send the seeds to other sides..
An example of this type of seed dispersal is usually the well-known devil's pickle plant, where the aforementioned occurs and its growth originates after the original plant sends the seeds very far and avoid mutual theft of nutrients..
It is one of the most fascinating cases of what nature can do without the intervention of any external agent..
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