Unit 1: Reproduction in Plants - Textbook Simulation

Unit 1

Reproduction in plants:

Flowering plants:

There are thousands of different kinds of flowering plants in the world. Flowering plants have flowers that produce fruits and seeds. New plants grow from the seeds of plants.

The Structure of Flower:

• The Female Reproductive Organ: The Carpel
The female parts of a flower consist of an ovary, a style, and the stigma. The ovary is at the base of the flower. A tubular structure, called the style, extends from the ovary. On the top of the style is the stigma. It is a surface receptive to pollen. After fertilization the ovule becomes the seed and the ovary becomes the fruit.

• The Male Reproductive Organ: The Stamen
The male parts of a flower consist of one or more stamens. Each stamen is made up of paired anthers (sacs containing pollen) on a filament or stalk. The anthers are the orange/yellow structures often seen in the centre of a flower. Pollen from one flower's anthers is usually transferred to the stigma of another by wind or animals, particularly insects.

Cross-section of a flower

Tap any label to review its biological function.

Pollination:

Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from the male part of the flower (anther) to the female part (stigma) of the same species. Pollen grains contain the male reproductive parts.
Pollen grains can be carried from the anther to the stigma by wind or animals such as mammals, birds, and insects.

Insect - pollinated flowers:

Flowers with pollen carried by insects are typically brightly colored, patterned, or have a sweet smell.
After an insect feeds from the flower, it is typically covered with pollen. When these insects travel from one flower to another, the pollen is spread and other insects may feed on the pollen.

A bee visiting a flower to collect nectar and pollen may accidentally take pollen to another flower of the same kind.

pollinator

Wind - pollinated flowers:

Flowers, such as those found on grasses and large trees, are not always brightly colored. These flowers are pollinated by the wind. The pollen of wind-pollinated flowers is very light and blows easily.

Click any organ to study pollination mechanics.