Page 26 - 新思维科学学生用书5 样章

1.3 How seeds are spread

Some seeds are dispersed by animals

Some fruits use animals to spread their seeds. Fruits that

spread in this way must attract animals to eat them.

These fruits are often colourful, soft and juicy, and taste
good. They usually have small seeds. Animals such as birds,

monkeys, mice and even elephants eat the fruits. The seeds pass
through the animal’s body and are dispersed in the animal’s

droppings. This may be far away from where the animal ate the fruit.

Some fruits and seeds have spines and hooks. These stick onto the fur
of animals or the clothes of people.

The seeds can be carried a long way from the parent plant before they
fall off, or the animal scratches them off.

Questions

1 Which seeds would grow better: those in a tomato left on the plant, or those in a

tomato eaten by a bird? Say why.

2 Do you think peach seeds can be dispersed by animals? Say why or why not.
3 Make a drawing of a seed you think would be dispersed on an animal’s fur.

4 How can people disperse seeds?

Some seeds are dispersed by wind

Seeds that are dispersed by wind are light.
Have you ever blown away the seeds of

a dandelion?

Dandelions have a parachute of hairs to
help them float in the air. Other seeds have

thin papery ‘wings’ to help them blow away
easily. The poppy fruit forms a ‘pepper pot’

with holes in it. When the wind blows, the

seeds are shaken out and blown away.

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