Plant Reproduction Flashcards
What are the two types of plant reproduction?
Sexual and asexual reproduction
Define ‘sexual reproduction’
When two ‘parents’ create a genetically varied offspring using specialised sex cells called gametes
Where is sexual reproduction advantageous?
In a changing environment
Where there is a threat of disease from pathogens
What are the threee steps of sexual reproduction?
- Pollination
- Fertilisation
- Germination
Define ‘asexual reproduction’
When one ‘parent’ creates a genetically identical offspring (clones), without the use of gametes
Where is asexual reproduction advantageous?
In a stable environment, so clones/offspring can aquire any adaptations the ‘parent’ had
How is asexual reproduction carried out by ‘runners’?
A runner leads off of the ‘parent’ plant and grows a clone where the runner touches the ground
How is asexual reproduction carried out by ‘tubers’?
One plant can produce many tubers, which are swollen underground stems containing lots of food, which each producing many shoots creating the new plant
How is asexual reproduction carried out by ‘bulbs’?
Underground bulbs with thick leaves contain stored food, which grow a main shoot, and sometimes one out the side creatig a ‘daughter’ bulbs, so two plants are fromed
How is asexual reproduction carried out by ‘cuttings’?
A piece of the plant’s stem, with a few attached leaves, is cut and planted in damp compost, where it will grow roots, and develop into a new plant. This is an artificial method of asexual reproduction
What are the three main functions of the plant’s flowers?
- Production of gametes
- Sites of pollination and fertilisation
- Sites of seed and fruit formation
Which gamete is produced by the male part of the flower, and where is it produced?
Pollen - produced in the anther
Which gamete is produced by the female part of the flower, and where is it produced?
Ova - produced in the ovules
What is the name of the male and female parts of the flower?
Male - stamen
Female - carpel
Define ‘cross-pollination’ and ‘self-pollination’
Cross-pollination: the transfer of pollen from the anther of one flower to the stigma of another flower on a different plant
Self-pollination: when the pollen does not reach a different plant, and the pollen from the anther fertilises the stigma of the same plant
Label the structure of this flower:


How is the stamen of a flower adapted for insect or wind pollination?
Insect: enclosed within the flower
Wind: exposed outside of the petal
How is the stigma of a flower adapted for insect or wind pollination?
Insect: enclosed within the flower, and sticky
Wind: exposed outside of the petal, often feathery
How are the petalsof a flower adapted for insect or wind pollination?
Insect: small, usually green
Wind: large and brightly coloured
Describe ‘fertilisation’
- The pollen lands on the stigma, and a pollen tube grows down through the style
- Enzymes are secreted by the tip of the pollen tube which digest the tissue of the style
- The male gamete travels to the ovule through the pollen tube
- The tube delivers the male gametes to an ovule, where the gamete enters through a small hole, the micropyle
- The male gamete then fuse with the female gamete
Describe how fruits are formed from a zygote
- Zygote: male and female gamete fused (fertilisation)*
1. The zygote develops into an embryonic plant with a small root (radicle) and a shoot (plumule)
2. The other contents of the ovule develop into a food store for the young plant when it germinates
3. The ovule wall becomes the seed coat (the hard coating of the seed)
4. The ovary wall becomes the fruit coat
What three things are required for germination?
Warmth - optimum temperature for enzymes
Oxygen - to aerobically respire
Water - to activate the enzymes
How does a germinating plant get fuel/food before it’s in a position to respire?
It uses enzymes to break down the carbohydrates in it’s food store