Darwin & Drinks: The dispersion of seeds

Most animals can easily travel across huge swaths of land, swim through water, or fly through the air. This is not the case for plants. As soon as a seed germinates it is rooted to the spot. But that doesn’t mean plants can’t migrate. In fact, the plant kingdom has a big bag of tricks at its disposal to ensure a bright future for their offspring. Some plants provide their progeny with hooks and serrated teeth to hold on to the fur of animals, while others are endowed with wings with which they can glide through the air. Charles Darwin was one of the first naturalists to examine this wonderful diversity in seed dispersal tactics. In this lecture we will unravel the meaning of seed dispersal.