Wednesday, May 13, 2009

State one feature of a fruit that is dispersed by wind.

After fertilization in a flowering plant occurs, a fruit will develop from the ripened ovary of the plant. Within this ovary is the ovule where a fertilized egg will develop into a seed containing an embryo plant. The purpose of a fruit is to protect as well as to aid in a seed's dispersal. Embryo plants need to be transported to a suitable location in order to germinate and successfully develop into an adult.


Fruits that are dispersed by wind are usually light-weight as well as aerodynamic.  


A common weed that grows on lawns is the dandelion. Once pollination occurs, seeds develop which are attached to parachute-like structures capable of traveling easily on the wind. The structure they are attached to is the fruit.


Maple trees have winged, helicopter-shaped fruits to which their seeds are attached. These are capable of gliding to a new habitat. They have a fluttering type of motion. The winged part is the fruit.


Seeds that are dispersed by wind are adapted to be carried in the breeze. Their fruits are adapted to be able to float, fly, or even spin in the wind until they reach their new destination. Some seeds even have tails which allow them to fly much like a kite does in the wind. Some seed pods, which are the fruits, bend over on their stalks and the seeds fall out away from the parent plant to reduce competition between parent and offspring.


I have attached a link with pictures of fruits that transport seeds via wind to show their unique adaptations.

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