What is the reproductive advantage of Coniferous trees to drop their gametophyte containing pine cones during the winter?

So they’re on the ground in the spring, when the have the best chance of beating out the smallish ground cover before they grow too big.

If you’re looking at a relatively mature forest, the saplings are VERY tall to get above the ground cover, but if the ground cover were already there, they wouldn’t make it above it.

My understanding is that the majority of the seeds are released from the cones while the cones are still on the tree. The seeds are enclosed in papery “wings” and rely on wind dispersal, so that is best achieved when released from a height. By the time the cones drop at the end of the season, most of the seeds are long gone.

@Harp @grumpyfish – Thank you, that answers my question. I had forgotten that the seeds are released prior to the dropping of the pine cone. I believe the pine cone is broken down to create a fertile soil for the Gymnosperm.

The cones being dropped at this time of year may be a result of squirrels. In order to build up food stores before hibernation, squirrels an chipmunks will chew at pine cones to drop them from trees, and then eat any seeds remaining inside the cone.