1
REPRODUCTION IN
PLANTS
Melanie P. Medecilo
Biological Sciences Department
Reference: Madder
(2006)
WHAT IS A 2
FLOWER?
- interpreted as modified shoots,
consisting of an axis and appendages
that may be sterile (perianth) or fertile
(stamens, pistils).
3
Terms associated with a 'typical', modern
flower:
Anatomy of a 4
Flower
Reproduction i 5
n Plants
Flowers
Leaf-like sepals protect the bud
Open flower has whorl of petals
Four whorls of modified leaves
attached to a receptacle at the end of
a flower stalk
Receptacle with a single flower is a
peduncle
Receptacle with several flowers is a
pedicel
Reproduction i 6
n Plants
Flowers
Flower develops in response to
environmental signals such as day
length
In monocots, flower parts occur in
threes and multiples of three
In eudicots, flower parts occur in fours
or fives and multiples of four or five
Reproduction i 7
n Plants
Reproductive Strategies
All plants have a two-stage, alternating
life cycle
Sporophyte produces haploid spores by
meiosis
Spores divide mitotically to become
haploid gametophytes
Gametophytes produce gametes
Gametes fuse to produce zygote
Zygote divides mitotically to become
diploid sporophyte
Alternation of 8
Generations
in Flowering Plants
Reproduction i 9
n Plants
Flowers
Stamens are male portion of flower
Anther - Saclike container
Filament - Slender stalk
Carpel is female portion of flower
Stigma - Enlarged sticky knob
Style - Slender stalk
Ovary - Enlarged base enclosing
ovules
Monocot vs. Eudicot 10
Flowers
11
Flower Symmetry
Flower with radial symmetry Flower with bilateral symmetry
because the perianth segments because the perianth segments
(petals and sepals) are similar are dissimilar in size and shape.
in size and shape. This type of This type of flower is divisible into
flower is divisible into equal equal halves along only one plane
halves along more than one
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Ovary Position
13
OVARY
POSITION
Reproduction i 14
n Plants
Flowers
Complete vs. incomplete flowers:
Complete flowers have sepals, petals, stamens, and
a carpel
Incomplete flowers missing one or more of above
Bisexual vs. unisexual flowers:
Bisexual flowers have both stamens and carpel
Unisexual flowers have one but not the other
Monoecious vs. dioecious plants
Monoecious plants have staminate flowers and
carpellate flowers on the same plant
Dioecious plants have all staminate or all carpellate
flowers
Corn Plants are 15
Monoecious
Infloresce 16
nce
= a collection or aggregation of flowers on
an individual plant
= often function to enhance reproduction
A. Spike - an indeterminate F. Fascicle - racemelike or
inflorescence, consisting paniclelike inflorescence
of a single axis bearing with pedicellate flowers
sessile flowers in which internodes
B. Raceme - single axis bears between flowers are
pedicellate flowers
very short.
G. Catkin - a male spike or
C. Panicle - branched raceme elongate axis that falls
D. Corymb - single axis has as a unit after flowering
lateral axis and/or pedicels or fruiting
bearing flat-topped or H. Head – crowded group of
convex flowers sessile or subsessile
E. Umbel - flat-topped or flowers on a compound
convex inflorescence with receptacle
pedicels attached at one I. Spadix – spike with a
point to a peduncle. thickenedd or fleshy
central axis, with
congested flowers and
subtended by a spathe
17
An inflorescence may be defined as a cluster of
flowers,
all flowers arising from the main stem axis or
peduncle:
18
19
20
21
HEA 22
D
Reproduction i 23
n Plants
Reproductive Strategies
Flower produces two types of spores
Microspore - Male gametophyte
Undergoes mitosis
Becomes pollen grain
Megaspore - Female gametophyte
Undergoes mitosis
Becomes embryo sac within an ovary,
within an ovule
Ovule becomes seed
Reproduction i 24
n Plants
From Spores to Fertilization
Male Gametophytes
Microspores are produced in anthers
Each anther has four pollen sacs,
each with many microsporocytes
Undergoes meiosis to produce
microspores
Mitosis produces pollen grains
Production of Female Reproduction i 25
n Plants
Gametophyte
Ovary contains one or more ovules
Ovule has mass of parenchyma cells
One cell enlarges to become
megasporocyte
Undergoes meiois and becomes four
haploid megaspores
Functional megaspore divides
mitotically until there are eight nuclei of
a female gametophyte
Reproduction i 26
n Plants
Pollination
Pollination is the transfer of pollen
from an anther to the stigma of a
carpel
Self-pollination occurs if the pollen is
from the same plant
Cross-pollination occurs if the pollen is
from a different plant
Pollinat 27
ion
28
WHAT IS A FRUIT?
matured ovaries containing
seeds.
classified according to their
composition and the ways in
which the ovary walls mature.
29
General Fruit Terminology
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n Plants
Fruit Types and Seed Dispersal
Simple Fruits
Simple fruits are derived from single
or several united carpels
A single ripened ovary from a single
flower
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n Plants
Simple Fruits
Dry - Pericarp dry at
maturity
Fleshy - All of most A. Dry Dehiscent -
of the ovary wall
(pericarp) is soft or pericarp splits open along
definite seams
fleshy at maturity.
Follicle
Drupe
Legume
Berry
Capsule
Pome
Achene
Pepo Nut
Hesperidium Grain
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Berry: All or most of Pepo: Berry with hard,
pericarp fleshy thick rind
33
Drupe: Seed
enclosed within a
stony endocarp
(pit).
Hesperidium: Berry
with a leathery rind
34
Pome: Accessory fruit with
thick hypanthium
Reproduction i 35
n Plants
Simple Fruits
Dispersal
Many seeds are dispersed by wind
Woolly hairs, plumes, wings
Fleshy fruits - Attract animals and
provide them with food
Peaches, cherries, tomatoes
Accessory fruit - Bulk of fruit is not
from ovary, but from receptacle
Apples
Pea Flower and Pea 36
Pod
Structure and Function 37
of Fruits
38
Multiple Fruit: Many ovaries derived from many individual
39
flowers.
40
Dehiscent Dry Fruits (Split Open At
Maturity)
Legume or
Pod: Composed of
one carpel
41
Capsule: Composed of
several fused carpels
Follicle: One carpel
42
that splits along
one seam
Silique: Two
carpels separated
by a seed-bearing
septum.
Indehiscent Dry Fruits (Do Not Split Open At Maturity)
43
Achene: Small, one-
seeded fruit; pericarp
free from seed coat.
Grain (Caryopsis): One-seeded fruit; pericarp 44
fused with seed coat.
45
Samara: One-seeded, winged
achene
Nut: One-seeded
fruit with hard
pericarp
Indehiscent Dry Fruits (Do Not Split Open At 46
Maturity)
Schizocarp: Seed-
bearing carpels split
apart, but remain
indehiscent.
Utricle: Small,
bladderlike, thin-
walled indehiscent
fruit
Reproduction i 47
n Plants
Compound Fruits
Compound fruits develop from several
individual ovaries
Aggregate Fruits
Ovaries are from a single flower
Blackberry
Multiple Fruits
Ovaries are from separate flowers
clustered together
48
Fertilizat
ion
When pollen grain lands on stigma, it
germinates forming a pollen tube
Passes between the stigma and style
to reach the micropyle of the ovule
Double fertilization occurs
One sperm nucleus unites with the
egg nucleus, producing a zygote
Other sperm nucleus unites with the
polar nuclei, forming a 3n endosperm
cell
Life Cycle of Flowering 49
Plants
Seed
Development
Development of eudicot
embryo
After double fertilization,
endosperm nucleus begins to
divide asymmetrically
Small cell is destined to
become the embryo
Larger cell divides repeatedly
to become a suspensor
Development of a Eudicot 51
Embryo
Monocot vs. 52
Eudicot
Development of Eudicot 53
Embryo
During globular stage, prembryo is ball of
cells
Outermost cells will become dermal tissue
Embryo is heart shaped when cotyledons
appear
Epicotyl is portion between cotyledons
contributing to shoot development
Hypocotyl is portion below that contributes
to stem development
Radicle contributes to root development
Reproduction i 54
n Plants
Seed Germination
When seed germination occurs, the
embryo resumes growth and
metabolic activity
Length of time seeds retain their
viability is quite variable
Some seeds do not germinate until
they have been through a dormant
period
Temperate zones - Cold Weather
Deserts - Rain
Reproduction i 55
n Plants
Seed Germination
Environmental requirements for seed
germination
Availability of oxygen for metabolic needs
Adequate temperature for enzyme activity
Adequate moisture for hydration of cells
Light (in some cases)
Respiration and metabolism continue
throughout dormancy, but at a reduced
level
Seed Structure and 56
Germination
in the Common Garden
Bean
Corn Kernel Structure and 57
Germination
Reproduction i 58
n Plants
Asexual Reproduction in Plants
Plants contain nondifferentiated
meristem tissue
Allows them to reproduce asexually by
vegetative propagation
Plant hormone auxin:
Can be used to cause roots to develop
Expands the list of plants that can be
propagated from cuttings
Asexual Reproduction in 59
Plants
