Biology Unit 4.2 - Sexual Reproduction in Plants Flashcards
What is the flower?
Organ of reproduction in plants containing both male and femal gametes
Top-bottom:
* Petal
* Stigma
* Stamen consisting of the anther and filament
* Sepal
* Style
* Ovar containing one or more ovules
What is the function of the petal?
Brightly coloured, which may have a scent and produce nectar to attract insects
What is teh function of the stigma?
Receptive surface that receives pollen during pollination when matured
What is the function of the anther?
Structure that produces pollen grains and contains the male haploid gamete
What is the function of the filament?
Supports the anther, and has vascular tissue that transports food (phloem) and water (xylem)
What is the function of the sepal?
Usually green and protect the flower in bud
What is the function of the style?
Stalk like structure that supports the stigma
What is the function of the ovary?
Surrounds the ovules is the lower part of the carpel, and contains the femal haploid gamete
What is pollination?
Transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the mature stigma, so they can be brought into contact with the female part of the flower
What is self-pollination?
Pollen is transferred to the stigma of the same flower, or another flower on the same plant
What is cross-pollination?
Transfer of pollen from the anthers of one flower to the stigma of another flower on a different plant of the same species
What is insect pollination?
Bees feed on sugary nectar using long tongues to reach the nectaries, where anthers brush against the back of the bee, leaving behind sticky pollen, which burhs against a ripe stigma
What is wind pollination?
Petals are absent or small and insignificant
Anthers hang outside the flower; allow wind to blow away the small, smooth and light pollen
Feathery stigmas hang outside the flowers; provide a large surface area
Compare insects pollinated and wind pollinated flowers…
Insect pollinated:
* Colorful petals with nectar guides
* Scent and nectar - mainly sucrose
* Anther and stigma within the flower
* Small quantities of sticky sculptured pollen
* Produces large pollen grains
Wind pollinated:
* Petals ususally absent or small, green or insconspicuous
* No scent or nectar
* Anthers hanging outside the flower
* Large, feathery stigma hang outside the flower
* Large quantities of smooth pollen
* Produces smaller pollen grains
What are the genetic consequences of self-pollination?
- Leads to self-fertilisatio; results in inbreeding
- Variation can only be achieved by mutation by crossing over during prophase I and the random assortment of chromosomes/chromatids
- Less genetic variation
- Inbreeding can preserve good genomes suitable to a stable environment
What are the genetic consequences of cross-pollination?
- Leads to cross-fertilisation; results in outbreeding
- Variation achieved by fusion of gametes from diffeent plants of the same species in addition to mutation: crossing over during prophase I and random assortment of chromosomes/chromatids
- More genetic variation
- Outbreeding has evolutionary significance as some genomes are more successful than others; allow species to survive better in a changing environment
What are the anthers?
Contain male haploid gametes produced by meiosis