Lesson 3 - Plant Reproduction

PLANT
REPRODUCTION
Lesson 3
Sexual Reproduction Occurs in Both Seed
and Seedless Plants
•Seedless plants such as mosses and
ferns depend on diffusion and osmosis
to transport water and nutrients in the
plant. For fertilization, sperm must swim
from the male cells to the female cells.
•Seed plants such as flowers and trees

depend on pollination to reproduce.
• There are two types of seed-producing plants.
• Gymnosperms are plants that contain vascular tissue and produce seeds
that are not covered by protective tissue.
• Angiosperms are plants that contain vascular tissue and produce seeds
that do have a protective tissue coating.
Gymnosperm Angiosperm
Reproduction in Gymnosperms
•Gymnosperms have seeds that are exposed on the surface
of cone scales.
• Male cones produce pollen and are usually soft and
short-lived. Female cones produce eggs and are hard and
last longer.
• Fertilization occurs when wind carries pollen to a female
cone.
• After fertilization, the zygote develops into an embryo that
is covered by a waterproof covering to form a seed.
The life cycle of a
coniferous plant
Reproduction in Angiosperms
Angiosperms are the most diverse and common plants on Earth.
A cross section of a
flower, showing its
four organs: sepals,
petals, stamens (male
reproductive system)
and pistils (female
reproductive system).
Male gametes are

found in grains of
pollen.
Female gametes are

found in the ovules of
the flower.
Reproduction in Angiosperms
Ovary: Swollen base of the pistil that contains ovules.
Petal: Colourful leaf-like parts that attract insects and other animals for
pollination
Ovules: Egg(s) that develop into seed(s) after they are fertilized
Sepal: Leaf-like parts that enclose the flower during the bud stage
Anther: Tip of the stamen that produces pollen containing sperm
Stigma: Sticky tip of the pistil where pollen grains land
Style: Stalk-like part of the pistil that connects the stigma to the ovary
Filament: Slender stalk-like part of the stamen that supports the anther
Pollination Mechanisms
•In order for the gametes to come together, pollination must take
place.
•Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male anther to the

female stigma. Plants have several mechanisms for pollination:
1. Self-pollination
2. Animal pollination (a form of cross pollination)
3. Wind pollination (also a form of cross pollination)
(left to right) Self-pollination, Animal Pollination, Wind Pollination

Self-Pollination
• Plants can pollinate themselves or another flower on the
same plant.
• This involves both gametes from a single flower, or
multiple flowers from the same plant.
• Limits genetic variation but is very beneficial when there
are no similar plants close by.
Cross Pollination
• Involves gametes from more than a single flower.
• Increases genetic variation but is more dependent on
assistance for pollination (i.e. animal or wind pollination).
Animal Pollination
• Plants use flowers to attract insects and animals to help with
pollination
• Insects and other animals can help carry pollen from one flower to
another.
• Flower shape affects the method of pollination, and dictates the
types of organism that can help with pollination.
• Example: Beetles tend to visit large, heavily-constructed flowers
that are either flat or bowl-shaped to give them an easy place to
land while tubular flowers attract hoverers like hummingbirds.
Wind Pollination
• Lightweight pollen grains can be carried by the wind to
other flowers.
Seed Development and Dispersal
• Pollination leads to fertilization which results in the ovule
turning into a seed.
• Seeds have a tough outer layer called a seed coat that helps
to protect the tiny embryo and endosperm inside.
• The endosperm is the food source for the developing embryo
and may contain starch, proteins, and oils.
• Many plant products, such as wheat flour and popcorn, are made from
endosperm.
• In the embryo, a miniature root and shoot take form.
• An embryonic leaf, called the cotyledon, also develops
• The cotyledon functions in the storage and transfer of nutrients
to the embryo:
• dicots have two cotyledons.
• Monocots have one cotyledon.
• After several cycles of mitosis, the growth and development of the
plant embryo within the seed is temporarily suspended.
• The seed is usually dispersed from the parent plant at this point.
• In many flowering plants, a fruit develops from the ovary of an angiosperm.
Fruits protect seeds and help disperse seeds from the parent plant.
• Seeds can be dispersed in many ways. They can:

• stick to animal furs (e.g. burrs)
• be inside fruits that attract animals
• some seeds travel on water
• carried by the wind if they are lightweight
Seed Germination
• When conditions are favourable, the plant embryo within a seed
begins to grow. This process is called germination.
• In order to germinate, seeds need a warm environment with lots of
water. By taking up water, the seed expands and splits its seed
coat. The water also triggers metabolic changes in the embryo that
enable it to grow.
• After breaking out of the seed coat, the shoot breaks through
the soil.
• The delicate shoot then grows upward through this protective
tunnel.
• Next, the first leaves expand from the shoot and begin making
food by photosynthesis.
• At this stage, the young plant is called a seedling.
Asexual Reproduction
• Vegetative propagation is the cloning of a plant from a

portion of its roots, stems, or leaves.
• Vegetative propagation is a form of asexual reproduction.
• Farmers, horticulturists, forestry technicians, nurseries, and
landscapers use different methods to produce plants with
desirable characteristics.
• The techniques can produce large numbers of quality plants
consistently and quickly.
• Some common techniques for vegetative propagation:
• division: the splitting of a plant into two or more pieces
that each contain intact shoots and roots for new growth
• grafting: a bud, portion of the stem, or section of the root
is cut from one plant and joined to another by placing
the tissues in the growth layer
• cutting: part of a leaf, stem, or root is cut from a plant
and placed in a growth medium
Division (splitting) Grafting Cutting

• More techniques for vegetative propagation:
• simple layering: a section of the stem is bent to touch the
ground and then a cut is made in it and buried in the
ground to promote the growth of roots
• tissue culturing: an individual cell or a small piece of
plant tissue is placed in or on a sterile nutrient medium
to promote shoot and root growth
• air layering: a strip of outer bark is removed and
sphagnum moss is packed around it to promote new root
growth
Simple Layering Tissue Culturing Air Layering

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PLANT

•Seed plants such as flowers and trees

Male gametes are

Female gametes are

•Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male anther to the

(left to right) Self-pollination, Animal Pollination, Wind Pollination

• Seeds can be dispersed in many ways. They can:

• Vegetative propagation is the cloning of a plant from a

Division (splitting) Grafting Cutting

Simple Layering Tissue Culturing Air Layering

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