A theoretical framework for data analysis of wind dispersal of seeds and pollen

Dispersal distances from a source depend upon such factors as settling velocity, height of release, wind speed and turbulence, and specific morphological adaptations for dispersal. The dispersal curve, which describes the frequency distribution of dispersal distances, usually shows its peak at some distance from a source and falls off with distance. The location of that peak was used as a measure of dispersal, and organized data in terms of the predictions of two models for the dynamics of advection and diffusion. Data are summarized in a seed dispersal diagram in which the modal distance normalized by the height of seed release is plotted against the mean wind speed normalized by the falling speed of seeds. -from Authors