When it comes to seed dispersal, many plants rely on the wind or a person or animal to carry their seeds further. For one cucumber species though, seed dispersal is a bit more explosive.
New findings presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium, examine how squirting cucumbers (Ecballium elaterium) have evolved the ability to propel their seeds.
“It’s super interesting to watch the explosions through high-speed recordings, as the explosions happen way too fast to see anything in real-time!” said Helen Gorges, a Ph. D. student at the Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics in the Zoological Institute of Kiel University, in Germany, in a press release.
While much is already known about seed dispersal, less is known about self-propelled dispersal, as seen in squirting cucumbers. What we do know is that these cucumbers use built-up pressure to eject their seeds at a near-ballistic speed.
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