Seed and Spores

Small seeds found on the suspect’s clothes or in a vehicle driven by the suspect can be important clues to where that person has been. Try following activity to see how this type of information is used to solve crimes.

Materials

- a pair of old wool socks
- field with weeds or bushes
- white paper
- magnifying lens


Procedure

NOTE: This is an outdoor activity

1. Put the wool socks on over your shoes and walk around the field.
2. Remove the socks and observe them. You should find many seeds stuck to the socks.
3. At home, pick off the seeds from the socks and put them on the white paper. Observe the seeds with the magnifying lens. How many different types of seeds did you collect?
4. Group the seeds so that similar ones are together. Can you guess which plants the seeds came from?

More Fun Stuff to Do

Plant the seeds you collected to see what kind of plants will sprout. To make sure the seeds will sprout, before planting them place them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a week. (Most seeds in the wild are used to going through a cold winter before sprouting). You can either remove the seeds from the socks and plat them in a pot filled with soil or fill the socks with soil, water them, and place the soil-filled socks on an old plate. Create your own Chia socks!

Repeat the original activity in a different field with different socks. Compare the seeds found in each field. How are they different? Can you tell by looking at the seeds found on the socks which field they came from?

Repeat the original activity in a different season of the year. Compare the seeds found in each season. How are they different?

Explanation

The kinds of plants that grow in a particular area determined by several factors, such as soil type, amount of water, and temperature. Most plants go through a growth cycle each year. In the spring, the plants sprout, begin growing, and then bloom, or flower. They continue to grow rapidly in the summer. In the autumn, the plants get ready for their quiet period.

Grasses and many weeds release seeds into the air or onto the ground in the preparation for the next spring. During the winter, the plants are dormant, meaning that they are alive but asleep. In the spring, seeds will sprout and the cycle begins again.

Seeds come from complex plants like grasses, bushes, and trees. Simple plants like bacteria, algae, mosses, and ferns produces spores, which are small cells that can develop into a new individual.

Using seeds and spores can be an effective way to help identify where a suspect has been walking and to link him or her to the scene of a crime. For example, if seeds found stuck to a suspect’s socks match seeds from grasses near a warehouse robbery, the evidence shows that suspect had the opportunity to commit the crime.