Seed dispersal is the process by which seeds are transported away from the parent plant. There are several advantages of seed dispersal.
- Less competition from parent plant: If the seeds are not dispersed, they will fall close to the parent plant and will grow. The new daughter plants will compete with the parent plant for nutrients, sunlight, water, etc. and hence will have lesser chances of successful growth.
- Safety against predation and diseases/infection: If the daughter plants grow close to the parent plant and the parent is infected by some disease, the disease will infect the daughter plants as well. Similarly, if similar plants are available in a small region, predators who eat that plant will target that area. In all these scenarios the chances of survival and growth are less.
- Colonization: Seed dispersal also provides chances for the colonization of regions where the plant species did not grow earlier. Thus, this will help the species spread geographically.
- Increased chances of species survival: If all the plants are located in small geographic region, the entire species may be wiped out by natural calamities, diseases, etc. If the species is spread over a larger area, there are chances that some plants may be able to escape the extinction.
Hope this helps.
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