Reproduction In Plants Flashcards
What is asexual reproduction?
Involves only one parent
What is sexual reproduction?
Involves the union of 2 sex cells
What are gametes?
Haploid cells capable of fusion
What is the function of the receptacle?
Supports floral parts
What is the function of the sepals?
Protects flower when it is a bud
What is the function of the petals?
Attract animals
What is a stamen?
Male part of flower
What is a carpel?
Female part of plant
What is the function of the anther?
Produce pollen grains by meiosis
How is the male gamete formed?
- Cells lining inside of anther are diploid
- Meiosis takes place to make pollen grains
- Pollen grains divide by mitosis to form gametes
- When pollen grains fully developed, the anther splits leaving them exposed
How does a pollen grain develop?
- Anther consists of 4 chambers called pollen sacs.
- Pollen sac enclosed by protective epidermis and fibrous layer
- Tapetum is a layer of cells just inside the fibrous layer. It is a food source for energy for cell division
- Number of diploid microspore mother cells in each pollen sac
- These cells divide by meiosis to make a cluster of 4 haploid cells called a tetrad.
- Tetrad breaks up to form 4 separate haploid pollen grains
- Pollen grain coated with thick outer wall called an exine for protection. The intine is a thin inner coat on pollen grain.
- Pollen may divide by mitosis to form the tube and generative nuclei.
How does a female gamete form?
- Each ovule has a number of diploid cells.
- One divides by meiosis to form a single haploid cell
- Cell undergoes mitosis 3 times to form embryo sac
- Embryo sac contains egg cell and 2 polar nuclei
How does the embryo sac develop?
- Each ovary has 1 or more ovules. Ovules have 2 walls called integuments
- Integuments have small opening, the micropyle, which pollen enters
- Most of ovules is diploid nucellus cells that supply nutrients for later growth
- 1 cell low down in ovule called megaspore mother cell, divides by meiosis to form 4 haploid cells
- 3 of these cells degenerate. Remaining cell called embryo sac.
- Haploid nucleus in embryo sac divides by mitosis 3x to make 8 haploid cells
- They are contained in embryo sac which swells using food supply from nucellus.
- 5 nuclei degenerate. 3 remainders form gametes
- 2 gametes form polar nuclei in embryo sac. Remaining gamete forms a thin wall and becomes the egg cell.
What is pollination?
Transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma of a flower from the same species
What is self pollination?
Involves the transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma on the same plant
What is cross-pollination?
Involves the transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma on a different plant of the same species.
What is fertilisation?
The union of the male and female gametes to form a diploid zygote.
How does fertilisation occur?
- Pollen lands on stigma and is stimulated to grow by sugars on stigma.
- Pollen tube grows down style to ovule
- Growth of pollen tube controlled by nucleus which degenerates when reaches micropyle.
- Pollen tube grows towards chemicals released from ovule. Example of chemotropism
- Haploid generative nucleus divides by mitosis and move down pollen tube. 2 haploid sperm nuclei formed.
- They move down pollen tube
- Presence of pollen tube means male gametes dont need external water to move to egg- adaption to life on dry land.
Give an account of double fertilisation
- 1 sperm nucleus joins with the egg nucleus to form diploid zygote. This zygote will develop into embryo
- 2nd sperm nucleus joins with the 2 polar nuclei to form a triploid endosperm nucleus.
How do seeds form?
- Fertilised ovule becomes seed
- Integuments dry up and become testa
- Zygote grows repeatedly by mitosis. It forms group of cells that become embryo
- Embryo consists of radicle, plumule.
- Some embryos grow to form the seed leaves (cotyledons). These are simple leaves which may become swollen with stored food, especially in dicots.
- At the same time the endosperm nucleus divides repeatedly by mitosis to produce many endosperm cells.
- These expands and absorb nucellus. The endosperm acts as a food source. The main foods stored in seeds are fats and starch.
What is a non-endospermic seed?
A seed that has no endosperm when fully formed.
What is an endospermic seed?
A seed that contains some endosperm when fully formed.
What does the ovule develop into?
Seed
What does the integuments develop into?
Testa