– Role in Dispersal:
– Diaspore of seed plus elaiosome aids in seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory).
– Notable in Australian and South African sclerophyll plant communities.
– Ants carry the diaspore to their nest, eat the elaiosome, and discard the seed for germination.
– Diaspore of seed(s) plus fruit common in plants dispersed by frugivores.
– Fruit-eating bats and birds carry diaspores to eat fruit and discard seeds.
– Achenes and samarae dispersed by wind, sailing, or tumbling.
– Drift fruits and others dispersed by water.
– Tumbleweeds dispersed by wind over long distances.
– Grasses have various dispersal units like caryopsis or diaspore.
– Types of Diaspores:
– Foxtail and tumbleweed diaspores are examples.
– Lichen, propagule, seedbank, and soil seed bank are related concepts.
– Sporogenesis and Wolffia are also relevant.
– References:
– Study by Lesley Hughes and Mark Westoby on diaspore characteristics.
– Research by David J. Gibson on grasses and grassland ecology.
– Related Concepts:
– Foxtail (diaspore) is an important concept.
– Understanding lichen and its role.
– Propagule and seedbank significance.
– Soil seed bank and its implications.
– Sporogenesis and its relevance.
– Citation Needed:
– Further research or verification is required for some information.
In botany, a diaspore is a plant dispersal unit consisting of a seed or spore plus any additional tissues that assist dispersal. In some seed plants, the diaspore is a seed and fruit together, or a seed and elaiosome. In a few seed plants, the diaspore is most or all of the plant, and is known as a tumbleweed.
Diaspores are common in weedy and ruderal species. Collectively, diaspores, seeds, and spores that have been modified for migration are known as disseminules.