Plant Reproduction

Question 1

How does flowering plant reproduce?

Answer 1

Flowering plant reproduce by sexual reproduction

Question 2

What is sexual reproduction?

Answer 2

Sexual reproduction has a male and female sex cell fusing together to form a new living thing

Question 3

What are the male parts of a flower?

Answer 3

FAP - Filament, Anther, Pollen

Question 4

What are the female parts of a flower?

Answer 4

SSOE - Style, Stigma, Ovary, Egg

Question 5

What is pollination?

Answer 5

Transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma

Question 6

Why do flowers need pollination?

Answer 6

Pollens cannot move to the stigma on their own

Question 7

How are pollens pollinated?

Answer 7

2 ways - By wind, and, or By insects

Question 8

What special structures do flowers pollinated by wind have?

Answer 8

1. Long anthers that stick out so that pollens can be easily blown off
2. Big stigma so that a bigger surface increase the chance of stigma landing on it
3. Petals might be small and dull (because no need to attract insects)

Question 9

What special structures do flowers pollinated by insects have?

Answer 9

1. Bright and colourful petals to attract insects

2. Sweet nectar and scent to attract insects

Question 10

What happens after pollination?

Answer 10

Nucleus of the pollen (male sex cell) will fuse with the nucleus of the egg (female sex cell) in the ovary. This process is call fertilisation.

Question 11

What is fertilisation?

Answer 11

Fertilisation is the process when the nucleus of the male and female sex cells (pollen and egg) fuse together. The egg becomes a fertilised egg.

Question 12

What happens after fertilisation?

Answer 12

Fertilised egg becomes the seed and

Ovary will swell and become a fruit.

Question 13

When is the fruit ready for fruit and seed dispersal?

Answer 13

The fruit will ripen, meaning it has sufficient stored food in the seeds to germinate.

Question 14

What is seed dispersal?

Answer 14

It is the process where the seeds are being moved away from the parent plant.

Question 15

Why disperse the seeds away from the parent plant?

Answer 15

Being near to the parent plant will require the germinated seedling to compete for WMSS - Water, Mineral salts, Space and Sunlight.

Question 16

Fruits and seeds cannot move on their own, so how are they being dispersed?

Answer 16

4 methods - By Wind, Water, Animal, Splitting

Question 17

How do fruits try to be dispersed by wind?

Answer 17

Fruits dispersed by wind often
- have wing-like structure
- are light-weight
so that they can be blown a further distance as they drop from the parent plant

Question 18

How do fruits try to be dispersed by water?

Answer 18

Fruits dispersed by water often
- have fibrous husk
so that they can trap air and float on water to be carried by waves

Question 19

How do fruits try to be dispersed by animals?

Answer 19

Fruits dispersed by animals often

• have hook-like structures to hook themselves onto the fur of animals
• have edible and fleshy fruits so that animals will eat them

Question 20

How do fruits try to be dispersed by splitting?

Answer 20

Fruits dispersed by splitting often

- have pod-like structure so that when the fruit dry up, it will split and throw the seeds out

Question 21

After fruits and seeds are dispersed, when do the seeds germinate?

Answer 21

Seeds will germinate when WOW factors (Warmth, Oxygen, Water) are present

Question 22

What happens during germination?

Answer 22

Seeds absorb water and the seed leaves will provide food for the seedling to grow - roots first, shoots later.
Food in the seed leaves will be fully used up and the seed leaves will dry up

Question 23

When do the seedlings start to make food?

Answer 23

Seedlings start to make food once the first leaves appear and turn green

Question 24

Is light needed for germination?

Answer 24

No. Seed leaves provide food. There’s no leaves to make food.

Question 25

When does a flowering plant reach ‘adulthood’?

Answer 25

Flowering plants become an ‘adult’ when it starts to flower - its sex organs.

Question 26

Fertilised egg becomes…

Answer 26

Seed

Question 27

Ovary will become…

Answer 27

Fruit

Question 28

In summary, the four processes in the reproduction of a flowering plant are…

Answer 28

PFDG (Polly’s Friend Dances Gracefully)

• Pollination
• Fertilisation
• Dispersal of seeds
• Germination