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Science 11 May 2007:
Vol. 316. no. 5826, p. 793
DOI: 10.1126/science.316.5826.793j
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This Week in Science

Figure 1 Awns are pointed projections on the seeds of wheat and other grasses that play a role in the dispersal of seeds in the air and on the ground. Elbaum et al. (p. 884) show how changes in humidity lead to bending of the awns as the result of moisture-induced changes in the arrangement of the awn's cellulose fibrils. In turn, the bending of the awns not only pushes the seed along the ground, but can even lead to the active burial of the seed, which presumably improves the chances of germination.

CREDIT: ELBAUM ET AL.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)