Improving measurements of the falling trajectory and terminal velocity of wind-dispersed seeds.

ABSTRACT: Seed dispersal by wind is one of the most important dispersal mechanisms in plants. The key seed trait affecting seed dispersal by wind is the effective terminal velocity (hereafter "terminal velocity", V _t ), the maximum falling speed of a seed in still air. Accurate estimates of V _t are crucial for predicting intra- and interspecific variation in seed dispersal ability. However, existing methods produce biased estimates of V _t for slow- or fast-falling seeds, fragile seeds, and seeds with complex falling trajectories. We present a new video-based method that estimates the falling trajectory and V _t of wind-dispersed seeds. The design involves a mirror that enables a camera to simultaneousl

SUBMITTER: Zhu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9353119 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature