Angiosperms

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Concept 1. Angiosperms

C ONCEPT

Angiosperms

Dene angiosperms and the parts of the ower.

Why do plants make fruit? When this bird eats a berry, it also consumes the seeds contained inside. The bird may y for many miles before digestion is complete and the seeds are excreted. This allows the plant to spread its seeds to a new location. For this reason, plants that make fruits have been very successful.
Angiosperms

Angiosperms, in the phylum Anthophyta, are the most successful phylum of plants. This category also contains the largest number of individual plants (Figure 1.1). Angiosperms evolved the structure of the ower, so they are also called the owering plants. Angiosperms live in a variety of different environments. A water lily, an oak tree, and a barrel cactus, although different, are all angiosperms.
The Parts of a Flower

Even though owers may look very different from each other, they do have some structures in common. The structures are explained in the picture below (Figure 1.2). The green outside of a ower that often looks like a leaf is called the sepal (Figure 1.3). All of the sepals together are called the calyx, which is usually green and protects the ower before it opens. All of the petals (Figure 1.3) together are called the corolla. They are bright and colorful to attract a particular pollinator, an animal that carries pollen from one ower to another. Examples of pollinators include birds and insects. The next structure is the stamen, consisting of the stalk-like lament that holds up the anther, or pollen sac. The pollen is the male gametophyte. 1

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FIGURE 1.1
Angiosperms are the owering plants.

FIGURE 1.2
A complete ower has sepals, petals, stamens, and one or more carpels.

At the very center is the carpel, which is divided into three different parts: (1) the sticky stigma, where the pollen lands, (2) the tube of the style, and (3) the large, bottom part, known as the ovary. The ovary holds the ovules, the female gametophytes. When the ovules are fertilized, the ovule becomes the seed and the ovary becomes the fruit. The following table summarizes the parts of the ower (Table 1.1).

TABLE 1.1: Parts of a Flower

Flower part sepals calyx corolla stamens lament anther carpel stigma Denition The green outside of the ower. All of the sepals together, or the outside of the ower. The petals of a ower collectively. The part of the ower that produces pollen. Stalk that holds up the anther. The structure that contains pollen in a ower. Female part of the ower; includes the stigma, style, and ovary. The part of the carpel where the pollen must land for fertilization to occur.

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Concept 1. Angiosperms

TABLE 1.1: (continued)

Flower part style ovary ovules Denition Tube that makes up part of the carpel. Large bottom part of the carpel where the ovules are contained. Part of the ovary that is the female gametophyte and that after fertilization becomes the seed.

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FIGURE 1.3
This image shows the difference between a petal and a sepal.

How Do Angiosperms Reproduce?

Flowering plants can reproduce two different ways: 1. Self-pollination: Pollen falls on the stigma of the same ower. This way, a seed will be produced that can turn into a genetically identical plant. 2. Cross-fertilization: Pollen from one ower travels to a stigma of a ower on another plant. Pollen travels from ower to ower by wind or by animals. Flowers that are pollinated by animals such as birds, butteries, or bees are often colorful and provide nectar, a sugary reward, for their animal pollinators.
Why Are Angiosperms Important to Humans?

Angiosperms are important to humans in many ways, but the most signicant role of angiosperms is as food. Wheat, rye, corn, and other grains are all harvested from owering plants. Starchy foods, such as potatoes, and legumes, such as beans, are also angiosperms. And, as mentioned previously, fruits are a product of angiosperms that increase seed dispersal and are nutritious. There are also many non-food uses of angiosperms that are important to society. For example, cotton and other plants are used to make cloth, and hardwood trees are used for lumber.
Vocabulary

angiosperms: Plants that produce owers and fruits. anther: Structure that contains pollen in a ower. calyx: All of the sepals together, or the outside of the ower. carpel: Female part of the ower; it includes the stigma, style, and ovary. corolla: Petals of a ower collectively. cross-fertilization: Pollen from one ower travels to a stigma of a ower on another plant. lament: Stalk that holds up the anther.

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Concept 1. Angiosperms

ovary: Large, bottom part of the carpel where the ovules are contained. ovules: Part of the ovary that is the female gametophyte; after fertilization, ovules become the seed. pollen: Powder-like substance; it contains gametophytes that produce the male gamete of seed plants. pollinator: Animal, such as a bird or an insect, that carries pollen from one ower to another. self-pollination: Pollen falls on the stigma of the same ower. sepal: Green outside of the ower. stamen: Part of the ower that produces pollen. stigma: Part of the carpel on which the pollen must land for fertilization to occur. style: Tube that makes up part of the carpel.

Summary

Angiosperms are plants that produce owers and fruit. Angiosperms can be self-pollinated, meaning pollen falls on the stigma of the same ower, or cross-fertilized, during which pollen from one ower travels to a stigma of a ower on another plant.
Practice

Use the resource below to answer the questions that follow. Angiosperms: The Secrets of Flowers at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4Khc7BUzA (5:46)

MEDIA
Click image to the left for more content.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

How many species of angiosperms exist today? How many species of gymnosperm exist today? When did angiosperms become the most abundant type of plant on the planet? When do angiosperms grow fruit? Where are the sex organs of angiosperms located? What is the difference between a superior and inferior ovary?

Review

1. How are angiosperms like gymnosperms? How are they different? 2. What makes up the female part of the ower? The male part?

References
1. Navdeep Raj. Angiosperms are the owering plants.. CC BY 2.0 2. Mariana Ruiz Villarreal (LadyofHats). . Public Domain 3. sebilden. . CC BY 2.0 5