Plants, surprisingly, lead just as dramatic lives as animals. They live in a world of competition and of constant invasion. If they don't take steps to protect their future, such as successful reproduction, they will become extinct. Therefore, plants distribute themselves in many different ways.
Some plants have the remarkable ability to actually move. Plants can naturally move their leaves and flowers but some plants can literally pick up and relocate. Take the birdcage plant for example. When this plant dies, the entire plant rolls through the desert distributing its" seeds.
Flowers, as well as other plants, depend on the wind to carry the seeds to different areas. The dandelion seeds have fluffy parachutes attached to the seeds so it can be carried for miles. However, the tropical rainforests have hardly any wind so plants must find another way to spread their seeds. Some plants in the rainforest have done just that. Their seeds have helicopter-like attachments or gliding wings.
Some plants depend upon touch to disperse their seeds. These plants use explosive and jet propulsion techniques. This method only requires the slightest touch and the plant explodes, releasing its seeds. One example of this is the squirting cucumber plant.
Most plants, however, require other living things to distribute the seeds. These plants" seeds can have hooks or spikes that attach to any animal that brushes against it. Unfortunately, chance encounters may not be enough so some plants attract other creatures to them. These plants use fruits that can be detected by animals by color and smell. These seeds are ingested, digested and excreted from the body elsewhere,.
Some plants actually need to be killed in order for the seeds to be released. Seasonal fires ravage through the land, destroying everything in its path, including all plants. Yet somehow, the seeds survive and grow in the ash. No matter how they are dispersed, seeds are one of the most important items that insure that life on earth will continue.
