7.04 Seeds and Fruits

I understand that our chef, Maurice, showed you some of the fruits that we have been successfully growing in our hydroponics bays and gardens.

Now, if we are going to make a go of this project overall, we must be able to produce enough seeds to grow more crops and to feed the people who live in the BioDome. So understanding seed production is essential.

Investigating Seeds and Fruits

After fertilization in seed-plants, most of the flower parts, like the petals, will die and fall off. Remember that fertilization involves the union of the male cell (pollen in plants) and the female cell (ovule). The female ovule hardens around the developing embryos (seeds). This hard, outer covering will protect the seeds until the seed has the opportunity to grow. The female ovary part of the plant will swell up and develop around the seeds, becoming the fruit.

Some fruits are fleshy, like apples and tomatoes. While others are hard and dry, like walnuts, wheat, and rice.

Fruits are important not only to those of us who eat them, but they are important in dispersing, or spreading, the seeds away from the adult plant. Seed dispersal is very important in reducing competition for sunlight, water, and nutrients.

Seed Dispersal

Let's investigate seed dispersal a little more deeply. Watch this video clip.

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Seed Adaptations

Inside fruits, seeds are safe and protected. As you've seen, seeds have special adaptations that help them travel and increase their chance of survival.

Have you ever played with helicopters? Whirligigs? Those are seed pods with little wing-like structures on them that some trees produce and drop. If you rub them between your hands—wind them up—and then toss them, they fly away like a little helicopter.

By spreading seeds to areas where there are more resources, the chances of survival increases. What would happen if plants could drop seeds only where they grew? Remember carrying capacity and limiting factors? Well, available water, nutrients, and light would come into play as limiting factors. Only so many plants can live in a given area.

Check these out by clicking on the image...find out some additional ways that seeds are dispersed.

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Activity: Seeds in the Field

It's time to take your knowledge about seeds and seed dispersal and put it to work! We are in need of some new species of plants for the BioDome. What we'll need to start with are the seeds. For this activity we're going to send you out into the countryside around the Dome to do some field research. You've been cooped up in here for a few days, so take advantage of your time outside.

You'll have several options, so read through each option before you get started.

Access the activity link and determine what to do.

Seeds in the Field

If you've completed your field work and are ready to report back to Dr. Raime, move on to the Travel Log tab.