Non-Flowering Plants (Conifers) Members produce cones and include pines, spruces, cedars, and junipers Individual trees possess both male and female reproductive structures Male cones produce pollen (containing sperm) and when they dry out, they open up and release the pollen into the wind Female cones open up temporarily to allow for pollination of the ovules then close again to allow the seeds to develop The seeds are then released after a period of time and when the cone dries out and expels them or disintegrates and falls apart

Flowering Plants Flowering plants produce flowers to aid in sexual reproduction The seeds of flowering plants are enclosed in fruit (the ripened ovary containing the seeds) such as apples, peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers

Parts of the Flower

Male Reproductive Stuctures The Stamen is composed of the filament which is a slender structure that supports and elevates the anther The anther is the organ that produces pollen (which, in turn, produce sperm)

Female Reproductive Structures The pistil is the collective term for the three components: The stigma is the top part that receives the pollen during pollination The style is a thin, stalk-like portion The ovary is the swollen base that houses the ovules and within each ovule, an egg is produced

Pollination Pollination is produced by the anthers of the flower and dispersed The pollen comes into contact with the stigma of the pistil The pollen releases sperm to fertilize the ovules, which once fertilized, creates a seed; Pollination can be achieved by the following means and can be specific to the species: air movement insects birds animals passing by self pollination

Self-Pollination a few plants that have both male and female organs on the same plant can self-fertilize meaning the pollen from one part of the plant fertilizes the ovules on another part of the same plant Disadvantages: leads to inbreeding which limits genetic diversity and causes them to be susceptible to environmental changes Advantages: A species may be particularly adapted to an environment. Self-pollination helps keep this trait. Self-pollinating plants are not dependent on pollination agents. Self-pollination is an advantage when the number of individuals is small or widely spaced.

Cross-Pollination This process is by which a flower is fertilized by the pollen from another plant of the same species. The advantages of cross-pollination are genetic in nature. This creates genetic diversity in the plant population and reduces inbreeding. Mechanisms of cross pollination are insects, wind, separate male and female flowers or plants, and animals

Fruit and Seed Dispersal The fertilized ovary develops into a fruit that encloses the seed Seeds are dispersed many different ways including wind, animals, birds The deposited seeds will germinate and grow into new plants