Seed dispersal mechanisms and elements of experimental design are addressed in the lesson. Go to Poison Ivy for a Science Update that looks at the amazing diversity of chemical substances found in plants, and the defense mechanisms that plants and animals use to protect themselves from predators. How avocados get around. I'm Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update. Dandelion seeds spread in the wind.
Coconuts float on the waves.
And berry seeds get eaten by birds and, well, dropped someplace else. But Science Update listener Tim Appenzeller of Washington, DC wanted to know how the enormous avocado seeds get around. We asked Gary Bender, a farm advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension. He says a ripe avocado makes a tasty treat for wild animals. And, they'll pick the whole fruit up and, either eat it right there, or carry it off under a bush.