Dispersal traits can influence movement through physical interactions with carriers, but observed routes also depend on weather, landscape and animal behaviour. Morphology can suggest a dispersal strategy without proving an exclusive vector. The animation therefore shows a mechanism rather than a probability distribution. Establishment after arrival is a separate ecological filter from transport itself. Endozoochory is internal transport following ingestion, provided seeds remain intact and viable through digestion.
Plants, animals and ecosystems · Discover & try
How can a seed travel away from its parent?
Reading level 5 of 5 · AdvancedChange
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dispersal
Movement away from the place a seed formed.
buoyancy
The support that can allow an object to float in a fluid.
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See how it works
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Selected dispersal mechanisms with imagined paths; no real travel distances or germination success are predicted.
What to look for
- Structures interact with carriers
- Several routes can exist
- Arrival does not guarantee growth
Explain what you noticed
A bird eats berries, then passes intact seeds in its droppings away from the plant. Which dispersal route does this show?
Keep this idea: Match a structure with a possible carrier, then distinguish travel from establishment.
Follow the sources
- U.S. Forest Service — Woody Plant Seed Manual: Seed Biology
- U.S. Forest Service — Seed Dispersal: Weed Wackers Educators Guide
- USDA Forest Service — Seed Dispersal by Animals
Source material checked 2026-10-28. Explanations and activities by Nepedia. Source links do not imply endorsement.
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