Pollination & Seed Dispersal Builder
Flowers need pollinators, and seeds need a way to travel. Discover how bees, wind, and water help plants reproduce, then engineer your own seed to travel as far as possible.
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Pick a pollinator
Step 1 of 5
A bee spots a colorful flower and flies toward it to find nectar.
Plants & Their Dispersal
Pollination & Seeds Reference
How Pollination Works
Pollination moves pollen from one flower's stamen to another flower's pistil.
- Bees collect nectar and carry pollen on their fuzzy bodies
- Wind carries lightweight pollen through the air
- Hummingbirds pick up pollen while drinking nectar
- After pollination, seeds begin to form
Seed Dispersal Methods
- Wind: dandelion fluff, maple helicopters
- Water: coconuts float to new shores
- Animal fur: burs hook onto passing animals
- Animal eaten: fruit seeds pass through and sprout
- Explosion: touch-me-not pods pop and fling seeds
Why Seed Dispersal Matters
If all seeds dropped right below the parent plant, they would compete for the same sunlight, water, and nutrients. Dispersal spreads seeds to new places where they have room to grow.
Some seeds travel just a few centimeters; others cross entire oceans. The shape and weight of a seed determines how far it can go.
NGSS Connection
This tool supports NGSS 2-LS2-2, which asks students to develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.
- Model how pollinators transfer pollen between flowers
- Identify traits that help seeds travel farther
- Connect plant structures to their dispersal function