Díspares

Díspares are plant propagules capable of dispersal away from the parent plant. In botany, a diaspore is any unit that can disperse and establish, and díspares is the plural used in some linguistic contexts to refer to these units collectively. A diaspore may be a seed, a spore, a fruit, or a vegetative fragment such as a tuber, bulb, or rhizome.

Diaspores exhibit adaptations for various dispersal modes. Wind-dispersed forms may bear wings or pappi; water-dispersed diaspores are buoyant; animal-dispersed diaspores may carry attractants such as pulp or elaiosomes; some diaspores are dispersed by gravity or by self-propulsion; many are transported by humans.

Diaspores influence plant distribution, gene flow, and ecological resilience. Traits like size, shape, mass, surface structures, and nutrient content affect how far they travel and how likely they are to establish in a new site. The study of diaspores encompasses seed dispersal ecology, trait evolution, and population dynamics.

Examples include Taraxacum officinale seeds with a pappus for wind dispersal; Acer spp. with winged samaras; Cocos nucifera fruits that can float across oceans; and vegetative diaspores such as potato tubers or rhizome fragments that spread clonally.