BIOL 1902 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Monotropa Uniflora, Working Animal, Aposematism
22 Feb 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Getting their progeny (offspring) off to a good start: until they are ready for dispersal, plants protect the seeds. Some have hard seed coats, such as those on acorns. Milkweeds are protected by a hard case, which is full of cardiac glycosides: plants in the process of sending out progeny into the world is called seed dispersal. Prevents chances of being eaten: once mature, the pods open and seeds are sent off. Plants in open habitats such as old fields often use the wind. Seeds must have adaptations to fly in the wind. They are lightweight, with silky hairs to catch the wind (i. e. dandelion) However, they might miss the target habitat: producing a lot of seeds increases their chances of hitting their targets. Fireweed produces 70,000-100,000 seeds: they attach themselves to animals. They have hooks and burrs, which catch on hairs or feathers. Queen anne"s lace also uses animal power for seed dispersal.
