01/06/2026
Successful seed dispersal is how plants establish in new places! Seeds can be dispersed via wind, water or animals, and plants have developed a range of adaptations to assist with this. 🌱
💨 Wind - Small, lightweight seeds (like eucalypts) travel on air currents. Some, like Hakea have wings to help them glide.
💧 Water - Buoyant seeds float downstream to find a new home. Mangroves are a great example, plants along waterways are often specially adapted for this.
🐾 Animals - Hooks and burrs catch on fur and get dropped elsewhere. (some successful weeds have dispersed this way)
🍇 Fruit - Fleshy fruits attract birds and mammals who eat and disperse the seeds. Some seeds actually need to pass through a digestive tract to germinate. In north-east Australia, Davidson's Plum relies on cassowaries and tree kangaroos to do the job. 🦘
