REPRODUCTION AND STRUCTURE NOTES Plants

Plant Reproduction Reproduction is how organisms make new individuals of the same kind. Plants (and many other organisms) can reproduce asexually and sexually.

FLOWERS Flowers on plants are the structures for sexual reproduction. Flowering plants are called Angiosperms. Rafflesia

Flower Structure Petals: Brightly colored parts of a flower. Attract animal pollinators. Sepals: Leaf like parts that surround the petals. Protect the developing flower.

Male Plant Structure Stamen: Male reproductive part. Consists of an anther at the tip of a filament. Pollen: Male reproductive cell in plants (sperm).

Male Plant Structure Anther: structure that produces pollen Filament: Thin stalk topped by an anther.

Female Plant Structure Pistil: The female reproductive organ in the flower. Consists of an ovary, style and stigma. Stigma: Tip of the pistil where pollen collects. Style: The long tube of the pistil that transfers pollen from the stigma to the ovary.

Female Plant Structure Ovary: Lower part of the pistil that produces eggs inside ovules. After fertilization, it will then develop into the fruit on a plant. Ovule: Each ovule contains an egg. This will develop into a seed.

Flower anatomy

Pollination The transfer of pollen from the male reproductive structure to a female reproductive structure. Moved from one flower to another by animals or wind

Fertilization In the anther (male), pollen grains are produced. The pollen are trapped on the stigma (female). The pollen (sperm), travels down a pollen tube to the ovary.

Fertilization

Fertilization Inside the ovary, the sperm enters the ovule which contains an egg. The sperm fertilizes the egg. The fertilized egg develops into a seed. The structure of a seed contains a tiny plant embryo.

Seed Dispersal Seed are spread in many ways. Wind blown Attached to animals or passed through an animal’s digestive tract Carried by water Ejected from seed pod

Germination The seed absorbs water and prepares to sprout. The tiny embryo sprouts from the seed and continues to grow. Roots grow, followed by stems and leaves