diaspores

A diaspore is any plant dispersal unit capable of giving rise to a new individual, and it encompasses seeds, fruits, spores, and vegetative propagules. In botany, the term is broader than “seed,” because a diaspore may include the seed plus its dispersal structures (such as a fruit wall, wing, or elaiosome) or even non-seed propagules like tubers, bulbs, corms, rhizomes, stolons, or plant fragments that can establish a new plant.

Diaspores are adapted for dispersal by various vectors and mechanisms. Wind-dispersed diaspores often have lightweight, aerodynamic shapes or hair-like appendages (for example, dandelion seeds with a pappus or maple samaras). Water-dispersed diaspores may be buoyant and able to travel long distances, as with coconuts. Animal-dispersed diaspores frequently rely on fleshy fruits that attract dispersers or on structures such as elaiosomes that entice ants to transport the seed. Some diaspores achieve dispersal through self-propelled or mechanical means, such as seed capsules that eject their contents.

Ecologically, diaspores are central to plant colonization, gene flow, and population dynamics. The diversity of diaspore forms and dispersal strategies influences spatial patterns of plant communities, seed survival, and the potential for range expansion.

See also: seed dispersal, myrmecochory, hydrochory, anemochory.