“How Does Phototropism Help a Plant Survive?” Discovery Education Video Transcript
Have you every blown the fuzz off a Dandelion? If you have you have made an important part in making sure that Dandelions continue to flourish. Wind, even a human breath is how a Dandelion spread their seed. From the smallest to the tallest most plants reproduce with seeds. But if the seeds fall to close to the plant they may have to compete for limited resources. Plants have ways to spread their seeds far away from the parent plant. One of the most common methods of seed dispersal is through the air. But before a plant can produce a seed pollination most occur. After pollination occurs in Dandelions white spike will eventually occur at the end of the stalk. Each spike on the Dandelion is actually a fruit with a parachute like structure at the top and one seed at the bottom. There are hundreds of fruits on each dandelion head. While they may look different from apples and oranges they actually have many similarities. All fruit consist of a ripen ovary that contain one or more seeds. For seeds dispersal dandelions require wind strong enough to pull the fruit away from the head and carry it away. A tiny hook like structure will attach itself wherever it lands. If that happens to be a place where heat, light, soil and water conditions are right, the seed will germinate. Then a new dandelion plant will grow. A plant from some dandelion species can produce as many as 2000 seeds per season. As some research shows in good conditions as many as 91% of these seeds will germinate and become dandelion plants.