Seed Dispersal Investigation 

How do the living and nonliving elements of a plant’s environment help the plant spread its seeds? Collaborate or work individually to produce data on seed dispersal in the garden and make inferences about the role of seed dispersal mechanisms in a plant’s life cycle.  

Materials 

• Fruiting plants  

• Plants with visible seeds (dandelions, sunflowers, oaks, maples, etc.) 

• Magnifying glass (optional) 

• Graph paper and a writing utensil (optional) 

• Access to a garden (or similar space) 

Observation Ideas 

• Identify animals (or evidence of animals, such as scat or tracks) in the garden. Take note of the animals’ behaviors and document your observations.  

• On a windy day with visible airborne seeds (e.g., maple or dandelion), identify the seeds’ parent plant and graph how far the seeds travel.  

  • Alternatively, blow on a dandelion to simulate wind.  

• Use your magnifying glass to examine many kinds of seeds up close. Identify and document similarities and differences among the seeds. How do you think these seeds typically get dispersed? What do you notice about the seeds that makes you think that?  

Discussion Ideas  

• Find your favorite fruit that is grown in a garden (remember: many of the plants we consider vegetables are the fruit of a plant [link: fruit]!) How might you help the plant reproduce by eating your favorite fruit? Describe the fruit’s taste and discuss why a plant might have this taste. How might taste help in plant reproduction?  

• Why do plants need to disperse their seeds? Have students discuss what they know about seeds and their role in plant reproduction.  

• Draw a close-looking sketch of a plant and add a seed dispersal mechanism (wind, animals, gravity, etc.) that you think the plant might use.  

• Some seeds travel because of animals, while others travel because of the wind.  Make predictions about how the size and shape of a seed impacts the way it is distributed. Act out the movement of seeds traveling due to wind. 

• How easy would it be for different animals to remove fruit from a plant and disperse its seeds? How might this help in plant reproduction? Act out the animal pulling fruit from a plant.