Aerodynamics of seeds and leaves

In contrast to seeds, which are aerodynamically optimized to settle slowly and travel far (Cummins et al., Nature 2018), evolutionary thinking suggests that leaves must fall to the ground as quickly as possible. This maximizes nutrient recycling. However, it is unclear how seed and leaf form interact with aerodynamics and the evolutionary story of the tree in achieving these incongruent goals.

This question is particularly pressing since leaves shed by deciduous trees contain 40% of the annually sequestered carbon. Climate change modulates tree leaf shape (Carvalho et al., Science 2021, Peppe et al., New Phytologist 2011), thus providing impetus for exploring the quantitative link between morphology and forest carbon retention potential.

Settling characteristics of seeds and leaves from extant and extinct species are compared. Traits, tradeoffs, and optimal strategies are discussed.