More than mass: key seed traits underlying dispersal in space and time

Plants are rooted in place. The only opportunity a plant has to explore new habitat and locate an environment favorable to growth and reproduction is in its very initial stage of life – as a seed. Seeds persist, disperse, protect embryos, and provide nourishment to incipient seedlings, but despite the importance of this life stage, our understanding of the traits underlying these critical functions is limited. By elucidating these traits, their relationships to each other, and how they vary across environments, we can improve our understanding of species persistence in the face of variability and climate change.