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Fruit and Seed Dispersal
Sometime after pollination, most of the flower parts begin to die, but the ovary (in which the seeds are located) enlarges rapidly. An enlarged ovary becomes a fruit. You are familiar with fleshy, sweet fruits such as oranges, grapes, and peaches. Also, many vegetables such as tomatoes, green beans, pea pods, and kernels of corn are really fruits. Many kinds of nuts and grains are fruits, too.
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Once formed, fruit plays an important role in the reproductive process of flowering plants. Each fruit contains one or more seeds, and each seed contains an embryo. In addition to protecting the seeds, many fruits have another important function: they aid in seed dispersal, scattering of seeds. If seeds are to germinate, or begin development, they must land where there is a suitable environment. Because of competition for light and water, all seeds produced by a plant cannot germinate in the immediate area of the parent plant, Adaptations for seed dispersal combat this competition.
Because many fruits are sources of food, they are eaten by animals. Thee seeds of the fruit pass through the digestive systems of the animals and are usually deposited at a distance from the parent plant. If conditions are favorable, the will germinate.
Not all fruits can be eaten, Cockleburs are inedible fruits, but they stick easily to the fur of animals and may be transported in that manner, Other fruits, such as those of maples and elms, are winged and may be carried great distances by the wing, Coconuts and other seeds float and may be dispersed by water.
แหล่งข้อมูล: BIOLOGY living system. Page 422.
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