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Department of Science 2018 - 2019

Second Term: Worksheet 2
Topic 1 Plants: L-1.7 & 1.8 Seeds get around – wind, water, explosion and animals

Grade 5...... Name:................................................................. Date: ...../....../2019

Q.1. Fill in the blanks. Write: fibrous, fruit, light, hooks, reproduce, winged

reproduce
1- Plants make seeds in order to _________________________.

fruit
2- The part of the plant that protects seeds is the ____________________.

3- Seeds dispersed by wind are usually ___________________

light in weight.

winged
4- Sycamore and maple have ___________________ seeds.

5- Burdocks have fruits with _____________________.

hooks

6- Coconut has a _________________

fibrous outer covering that helps it float in water.

Q.2. What is seed dispersal?

The spreading or scattering of seeds away from the parent plant is called seed
...............................................................................................................................................................

dispersal.
...............................................................................................................................................................

Q.3. Why do seeds need to be dispersed?

Plants make seeds that can grow into new plants, but if the seeds just fall to the
...............................................................................................................................................................
ground under the parent plant, they might not..........................................................................
..................................................................................... get enough sun, water or nutrients

from the soil......................................................................................................................................

.......................... Without sufficient sunlight, space and nutrients the new plants
will die.
.................................................................................................................................................... ...........

Q.4. What are the 4 ways seeds can be dispersal? Give two examples for each mechanism.
Seed dispersal by wind – sycamore and dandelion
1- .....................................................................................................................................................

Seed dispersal by water – coconut and water lily

2- .....................................................................................................................................................
Seed dispersal by explosion – pea pods and squirting cucumber
3- .....................................................................................................................................................
Seed dispersal by animals – berries and burdock
4- .....................................................................................................................................................
Q.5. Match the following.

1- Seeds dispersed by wind 4 explode when mature, touched, etc.

2- Large seeds 3 stick to animals’ fur

3- Seeds with spikes or hooks 1 have hair-like bristles

4- Seed pods 2 store a lot of energy

SEED DISPERSAL
The spreading or scattering of seeds away from the parent plant is called seed dispersal. Plants
make seeds that can grow into new plants, but if the seeds just fall to the ground under the parent
plant, they might not get enough sun, water or nutrients from the soil. Because plants cannot walk
around and take their seeds to other places, they have developed other methods to disperse (move)
their seeds.

1- Seed dispersal by wind

Seeds which are often dispersed by wind are smaller seeds that have wings (such as sycamore,
maple, pine and fir cones) or hair-like or feathery bristles (dandelions, milkweed and cottonwood
trees). They are light and get carried by the wind to far away places.

Seeds in pine cones and fir cones have wings Maple trees and Sycamore trees also
have winged seeds

Dandelion seeds have bristles Milkweed seeds have fluff of silky hairs that
act like a parachute
2- Seed dispersal by water
Plants which grow in or beside water often rely on water to transport their seed. Coconut is fibrous
and can float in the ocean for many kilometers till it reaches land. Water lily's flowers make a fruit
that floats in the water for a while and then drops down to the bottom to take root on the floor of the
pond.

Coconut is fibrous and floats in water till it reaches land and grows into a new plant.

Water lily fruit floats in water, then drops to the bottom of the pond. Some fruits ripen
underwater until they rupture or decay and the seeds then float away or sink.

3- Seed dispersal by explosion or expulsion

Some plants such as peas and beans have pods that explode when ripe and the seeds are scattered.
Violets, poisonous squirting cucumbers, and touch-me-nots or Impatiens capensis have an effective
way of dispersing their seeds: They burst! The forceful ejection sends the seeds flying as far away
as possible from the original plant.

Pea pods Violet flower pods with seeds

 Jewelweed seed pod Jewelweed seed pod after explosion

Squirting Cucumber refers to the cucumber shaped fruit and the

squirting out of the seeds when ripe.

4- Seed dispersal by animals

The seeds of many plants are dispersed after passing through the digestive system of animals such
as birds, monkeys, etc. that have eaten them. Some species of plant use hooks or spines on their
fruits to attach themselves to the fur of mammals or feathers of birds… or even the clothes of
humans! Hard nuts are usually destroyed if chewed or eaten. However, animals such as squirrels
may store them to eat later and forget to go back to get them, giving them a chance to germinate.
On rare occasions, birds such as blue jays can transport acorns long distances

Fruit eating animals and birds disperse seeds in their droppings.

 The fruits of cocklebur (left) and burdock (right) have many spines or hooks.

Q.6. Write characteristics of seeds dispersed by wind, water, animals and explosion.
Draw and name one example for each.

Seed Dispersed by Dispersed by Dispersed by Dispersed by

dispersal wind water explosion animals

Seeds are dry, Have Have fruit walls or Juicy, fragrant,

small and light. waterproof pods that split sweet or brightly
Some have outer layer or open with a coloured fruit with
Characteristics wings, hair-like fibrous husks to sudden force on hard seeds that
of fruits / bristles or help stay afloat contact or when pass out through
seeds. parachute-like in water. ripe. animal droppings.
fluff of silky Some have spines
hairs. or hooks that stick
to animals’ fur or
feathers.

Draw
examples

dandelion coconut pea pods burdock

Q.7. What happens when people throw their apple cores or orange pips on the ground when
they have finished eating?
If the seeds get water and nutrients, they may germinate and grow into a new plants.
...............................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................
Q.8. Identify the following fruits/seeds. Use the words in the box. Write how they are dispersed.

water lily, jewelweed, burdock, dandelion, pea, squirting cucumber,

pine cone, violet, cocklebur, milkweed, sycamore / maple,

sycamore / maple
_________________ dandelion
_________________ squirting cucumber
_________________ cocklebur
_________________

wind
_________________ wind
_________________ explosion
_________________ animal
_________________

burdock
_________________ violet
_________________ pine cone
_________________ jewelweed
_________________

animal
_________________ explosion
_________________ wind
_________________ explosion
_________________

pea
_________________ milkweed
________________________ water lily
_____________________

explosion
_________________ wind
________________________ water
_____________________
Watch these important links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRIb7cYWc8k (Seed dispersal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Muoz3x3fo (seed dispersal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpzHF5arzj4 (seed dispersal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9NOhqWqz-4 (Tree seed dispersal by wind)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB0P3mx_lxY (seed dispersal by explosion)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHqHSpZhjeY (exploding seed pods)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WCkHVwRaCs (exploding pod – slow motion)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZLv3xAjH3Q (seed dispersal by animals- seeds with hooks

and spikes)