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Home » Biology: Seed Dispersal

Biology: Seed Dispersal

By Janice VanCleave

grass-burr-fruit2grass-burr-fruitI have painful memories of walking barefoot through what appeared to be a field of soft grass. Some of the grass had produced sharp pointed fruit. While the spikes on some of the fresh burr fruit were not as stiff, they still were able to penetrate the tough skin on my feet. As the fruit dried, it turned brown and the spikes hardened. More painful.

No! This experience did not encourage me to wear my shoes. Instead, I learned to recognize grass that produced burrs. For more photos of burr fruit producing grass, see Burr Fruit.

The spiked grass fruit sticks  to things other than skin, including clothes and animal fur, and is carried to other areas. How seeds are dispersed is an interesting study. Some seeds can actually move around all by themselves, such as a grass called Thread-and-Needle. When you see the seed you will understand this name. For more information about this grass, see   SEED DISPERSAL:MECHANICAL MOTION

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Filed Under: Biology

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The spoon hanging from the string vibrates when struck and these vibrations are transmitted through the string and the sound is amplified by the plastic cups. ABOUT ME: Hi, I am Janice VanCleave, author of 50 best-selling science experiment books for children ages 4 through high school. I taught science for 27 years. MORE.....

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