Seed dispersal
Seed Dispersal
In this final week of plants we are looking at how seeds move from a plant to create new plants as part of the Life Cycle of plants. Although many plants produce seeds, the size, shape and method of dispersal vary greatly. When we looked at adaptations of plants in the desert we found that some seeds can survive a long time without water and then when it rains he flowers bloom quickly to produce the desert bloom. The method used to disperse seeds can be adapted to its location and the design of seeds to fit its purpose is very clever e.g. hooks to latch on to animal fur. Many plants produce lots of seeds because only a small number of them will find conditions right for growth. They are also competing against existing plant for water, nutrients and sunlight so often the method of seed dispersal relies on the seeds moving a distance from the plants.
Below are some clips, an animation, a song and a reading comprehension to tell you about how the seeds are dispersed. There is then a sorting activity to match the seed and the dispersal method and an activity to make your own seed that is similar to a helicopter. You can make different sizes of these and attach different weights and then conduct your own experiment to investigate which seed travels furthest. Remember to make it a fair test you need to keep everything the same and just alter one variable (the seed). Can you measure how far it travels?
I have also attached the knowledge organiser to this page so that you can check you know everything on it and you are familiar with the vocabulary.
When you have read the reading comprehension on weeds you will understand how easy they are to spread across your garden and how important it is to remove them before they make more seeds and spread.
Next half term I will be adding the Science directly to the Home Learning section of the website - under Parents. Our topic is Forces and Magnets.