Reproduction in plants: Comparing different plant seeds and fruits

Materials: a variety of fruits

Method

1. Collect and gather different types of fruits that are found in your area
2. Group the fruits in accordance with how they are dispersed e.g. wind and animal’s
3. Observe and record the features and ways in which the fruits have adapted to each type of dispersal

Observation

• The fruits of plants like the black jack have sticky spikes which allow them to attach themselves to animal hairs and human clothes
• This allows them to be dispersed by animals
• Fruits of plants like guavas and mangoes are succulent and juicy.
• With guavas the seeds are hard and resilient thus allowing them to be consumed and passed out some distance away from the parent plant
• Mangoes are eaten and their seeds tossed away some distance from the parent plant
• Plants like dandelions have fruits that have “wings”
• The seeds of these plants are also light which means they are easily picked up by the wind, float for some distance before settling
• Plants like the msasa tree have pods which explode thus spreading the seeds a distance away from the parent

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