Animals disperse (or spread) the seeds of plants they eat. Seeds exit the digestive system of a bat while they are flying around eating fruit from different plants. When the seeds land on the ground, new plants may be formed. How can humans mimic the bat and disperse seeds?

Which answer choice correctly uses the term mimic?

One way that seeds travel from place to place is through animal poo! How does animal poo help to transport seeds and allow new plants to grow?

Animals cannot help disperse seeds unless they eat them.

The image below is of a spiky seedpod often nicknamed a "hitchhiker" because it attached to clothing or an animal's fur and is dispersed through the environment.

Wanda is building a model of an animal that would help disperse these spiky seeds. Which animal should she design her model after to mimic the same effect?

What does the term disperse mean? Example: Many animals help disperse the seeds of plants so new offspring can grow.

One way that seeds travel from place to place is through animal poo! Animals eat fruits, vegetables, and plants and then spread the seeds when they exit their bodies. If you were developing a model to mimic this type of animal, which animal would you choose?

Some seeds are hitchhikers, which means they get stuck in an animal's fur and carried away when the animal moves. Coyotes, for example, travel long distances, and they don't even know they are dispersing seeds through the forest as they walk!

If you were making a model that mimicked an animal who carried hitchhikers, which feature would be most important for them to have?

One way that animals disperse seeds is by collecting them. Animals like squirrels collect seeds to eat and store them away for later. Many times they bury the seeds and forget about them. They don't realize it, but they just planted a new bush, flower, or tree!

Ami has to design a model that mimics the way a squirrel disperses seeds. What is the most important feature her model must have?

What does the term mimic mean? Example: I built a model to mimic an animal; it can dig just like a dog!