What Is Seed Dispersal? | Botanical Relationships

To grow the next generation, plants need to scatter their seeds. Wind, water, insects, and animals can help this process and spread a plant’s seeds far and wide.

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Questions and Prompts for Educators

Check for Understanding

What are seeds?
How do plants spread their seeds?

Take It Further

There are many ways seeds are dispersed. Which seed dispersal method do you think works best? Why?
Act it out. Move your body as a dandelion seed would move in the wind. Act out how a dandelion seed would disperse in the wind. Now, try acting out how a wisteria plant would disperse its seeds by shooting them out in different directions.

Create

Create a zine that showcases the various ways seeds can travel and be dispersed.
Choose a seed dispersal method. Use everyday materials to demonstrate how the seeds travel.

Make a Personal Connection

Go on a seed walk at school. Look for any seeds that have been dispersed. How do you think these seeds were dispersed? What makes you think that?

Table of contents heading: Questions and Prompts for Educators

Next Generation Science Standards: Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS1.A: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
How do the structures of organisms enable life’s functions?
LS2.A: INTERDEPENDENT RELATIONSHIPS IN ECOSYSTEMS
How do organisms interact with the living and nonliving environments to obtain matter and energy?

Table of contents heading: Standards