How are seeds dispersed by explosive action?
How are seeds dispersed by explosive action?
Ballistic or explosive seed dispersal is perhaps the most fascinating of seed dispersal mechanisms. The explosive pressure is generated as the seed pods dry out. A squirting cucumber is one example of a plant which uses this mechanism. Once the fruit of the squirting cucumber matures it explosively ejects the seeds.
How are seeds dispersed in gymnosperms?
Seed Dispersal in Gymnosperms In the typical gymnosperm cone, ripening and drying of cone and seed causes the cone scales to open and release the seeds. Dispersal is by wind, assisted by the presence of seed wings in some genera e.g. Pinus.
How does the explosive mechanism work?
As a pod dries, tensions are set up in the wall of the pod eventually causing it to split along two lines of weakness. As the two halves curl back, suddenly released like a tense spring, they flick out the seeds inside in an explosive manner.
Which plants seeds are dispersed by explosion?
Seed Dispersal by Explosions Okra, Lupins, gorse, and broom are a few examples of plants whose seeds are dispersed by Explosions. Pea and bean plants also have pods and the seeds burst out when they ripen and pod has dried.
How do gymnosperms disperse pollen?
Gymnosperms disperse pollen on wind currents. Pollen grains are male gametophytes. They transport the sperm cells (inside the pollen grain) by wind or insects: no liquid water needed.
How does seed dispersal in angiosperms differ from seed dispersal in gymnosperms?
The key difference between angiosperms and gymnosperms is how their seeds are developed. The seeds of angiosperms develop in the ovaries of flowers and are surrounded by a protective fruit. Gymnosperm seeds are usually formed in unisexual cones, known as strobili, and the plants lack fruits and flowers.
Which of the following family has explosive gun mechanism in seed dispersal?
The mechanism for explosive seed dispersal in Cardamine hirsuta (Brassicaceae)
What is meant by explosive mechanism?
Explosive mechanism is a method of self dispersal of seeds by the plants. Some plants distribute their seeds by violently ejecting them so that they fall well away from the parent plant. This is explosive dispersal. An example of this is plants which belong to the pea family (Leguminoceae).
What is meant by dispersal by explosion?
Explosive seed dispersal is an example of autochory, where seeds are dispersed by a plant’s own mechanisms, and is found in various angiosperm lineages including the genus Cardamine.
How do gymnosperms move?
Conifer sperm do not have flagella but rather move by way of a pollen tube once in contact with the ovule.
How do angiosperms disperse their seeds?
Fruits and seeds are the primary means by which angiosperms are dispersed. The chief agents of dispersal are wind, water, and animals. Some fruits and seeds have modifications that aid in wind dispersal. Fruit modifications include samaras, samaroid schizocarps, and the feathery calyx lobes (e.g., dandelion).
How seeds are produced and spread in gymnosperms?
Gymnosperms – seed plants with cones Male cones make pollen, which is carried to female cones by the wind. After the female gametes are fertilised by male gametes from the pollen, the female cones produce seeds, which are then scattered away from the plant by wind or animals. Most gymnosperms are trees.