Types of Plant reproduction

Plants can reproduce in two very different ways. Sexual reproduction involves the production of seeds and fruits from specialized cells of two plants. Asexual, or vegetative reproduction, occurs when a 'parent' plant grows new plants from its roots, stems, or leaves. Traditional types of vegetative reproduction include: cuttings layering (runners) grafting fragmentation (buds and root systems)

Seed Plant Reproduction (p. 93)

In vegetative reproduction, plants produce new plants identical to themselves. In sexual reprocution reproduction using seeds - the new plants are slightly different from their parents.
Cones

The cone is the part of the tree that has a series of woody scales, and come in various shapes and sizes. Both male and female cones are produced by cone-bearing trees. Female cones contain ovules (eggs) the small bumps at the end of a scale in a cone. Pollen grains (containing sperm) develop on the smaller male cone. Wind carries the pollen grains to the female cones. Although most of the pollen grains never reach the female cones, those that do get caught in the sticky fluid near the ovule. A pollen tube grows to the ovule and sperm is able to ferilize the egg. The process of pollination is complete. Female cones of pine trees matrure, open, and release their seeds during the fall or winter months. (This whole process takes at least two years) The seeds can then be dispersed by various methods and when they get covered they can eventually sprout and become new pine trees.
Flowers

Flowers use color, scent, nectar to attact animals, so that the pollination process can begin. Flowering Plant Reproduction Flower Structure - A Web Quest
Parts of a Flower

Identify the Flower Parts

Flower part petal sepal

Function

brightly colored parts of the flower to attact insects and birds green, protect the flower before it opens (underneath after it opens)
stamen (male reproductive organ)

anther

where pollen is produced and stored cases containing male reproductive cells stalk that supports the anther
pistil (female reproductive organ)

pollen grains
filament

stigma style ovary

sticky 'lip' of the pistl that captures pollen grains stalk that supports the stigma swollen base of the pistil containing

ovules ovules sacs containing female reproductive cells

Pollination (good visual description at: http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/ecotree/flowers/pollination.htm )

Pollination can occur by self-pollination or cross-pollination.

The bee spreads pollen over more crops than any other insect. Artificial pollination can also be used to breed different varieties of plants for specific purposes (usually to produce a better yield, or one that is more resistant to environmental conditions - such as cold winters) It is not just exposure to cold temperatures that kills seeds, but prolonged exposure to cold temperatures.

From Seed to Fruit

Once a plant is pollinated, a seed is formed. Seed Parts include the living plant (embryo) and the food suppy (cotyledon). The length of time a seed is able to stay alive varies according to the conditions it experiences. The longest-lasting seed was frozen for over 10,000 years before it sprouted and even flowered (p.125).

Fruit
A fruit is the growing ovary of the plant that swells and protects the developing seeds of a plant, until they are ripe. Not all fruits can be eaten though - a cotton boll is a fruit. (uses for non-edible fruits)

Seed Dispersal

Dispersal is the transportation of seeds away from the parent plant. It can happen in various ways (see pictures on p. 127), including: wind waterways (rivers, streams, etc.) bird droppings animal fur fire

Spreading and Harvesting Seeds in the Field

Farmers use machines to disperse seeds. Once they have grown into the crop, they are harvested in two steps. A swather cuts the plants and lays them in rows (the stubble - what is left of the plant after being cut - prevents the plant from touching the soil, so the seeds can ripen). A combine then separates the grain from the rest of the plant. (The grain seeds are collected and the straw is baled, or spread evenly over the field).

Germination

When the seed is able to come in contact and get covered by the soil, it remains inactive until the right conditions are present for it to germinate. Germination is the development of a seed into a new plant. (Figure 2.39 p. 128 - Germination of a bean seed) .
Topic 1 Review p. 130

What is asexual reproduction?

Asexual reproduction is reproduction without sex. In this form of reproduction, a single organism or cell makes a copy of itself. The genes of the original and its copy will be the same, except for rare mutations. They are clones. The main process of asexual reproduction is mitosis. This type of reproduction is common among some single-cell organisms, for example, amoeba. Many plants also reproduce asexually.

Types of Asexual Reproduction

Binary fission A cell splitting and becoming two cells (overview)Some organisms like bacteria reproduce using binary fission. They split in two, so one bacterium becomes two bacteria. This always leads to daughter cells, and the offspring will be identical to the parent.

Binary fission is a method of asexual reproduction. It is common in prokaryotes. A living cell divides into two cells. The two cells should be identical, but since mutation can occur, there might be slight differences. This process is basically when a prokaryotic organism divides into two parts. The parent cell divides to give rise to two daughter cells, the daughter cells then each develop into individual parent cells and give rise to two more daughter cells EACH, and so on and so forth. Image: Drawn by wiki:User:JWSchmidt

Budding

Budding is similar to binary fission, but it is used by plants and some animals, which cannot simply split in half as bacteria can. It is when a small part of a plant or animal breaks off and then, while they are separated from their "mother", they start to grow until both the "parent" and the "offspring" are the same size and both are capable of budding again. This may happen many more times.

Spores Fungi (for example, mushrooms) produce spores, which may be asexual or sexual. The asexual spores have the genetic material inside, which allows them to make a whole new organism identical to its parent. What is sexual reproduction? Sexual reproduction is a way of reproduction of some animals and plants. Some protists and fungi also reproduce this way. Organisms that reproduce sexually have two different sexes: male and female. Offspring is made by a cell from the male and a cell of the female. Different steps are involved in the process. The cells of an animal or higher plant have two sets of chromosomes: they are diploid. When gametes (sex cells) are produced, they have only one set of chromosomes: they are haploid. They have undergone a process of cell division called meiosis. During meiosis, crossing over occurs. This makes it possible to get recombination. This has various consequences. It means, for example, that all the children of two parents are not identical, except in the rare case where they developed from the same fertilized egg. The second step is called fertilization. In it, the two cells merge into one. This restores the diploid state.

Fertilization is what happens when a female's ovum (or "egg") joins together with a male's sperm and they form a zygote. Fertilization is also called conception. In humans, biologists call a fertilized egg azygote. Image: wikipedia

A zygote is the fertilized cell that will grow into a baby animal. When a female's ovum and a male's sperm cell become one, this cell is called the zygote. The zygote then multiplies, and grows into an embryo. A zygote is the cell that results from fertilization. A zygote is synthesized from the union of two gametes, and constitutes the first stage in a organism's development. Zygotes are produced by fertilization between two haploid cells, the ovum and the sperm cells, which make a diploid cell. Diploid cells have copies of parent chromosome or DNA. Some animals keep the zygote in their bodies until it is a full-grown baby. The time between the forming of the zygote and the baby's birth is called pregnancy. Other animals do not keep the zygote in their bodies, but lay an egg. The zygote grows inside the egg until it is ready and the baby animal hatches. The fertilized egg now starts to divide and produce the embryo. It is called an embryo from 3-8 weeks (the embryonic period.) Then after 8 weeks, it is called a fetus. If it continues to grow normally it can eventually become a baby. Terms Gonads- specialized sex organs where gametes are formed. In the male, the gonad is the testes, while in the female, the gonad is the ovaries. Diploid cells- (indicated by 2n) have two homologous copies of each chromosome, usually one from the mother and one from the father. Haploid cells -The haploid number (n) is the number of chromosomes in a gamete.

Gametes -- specialized sex cells formed in gonads by gametogenesis. The male gamete is the sperm, and the female is ovum(ova pl) or egg. Zygote - produced by fertilization between two haploid cells, the ovum and the sperm cells, which make a diploid cell.

Advantages and Disadvantages Type Asexual reproduction Sexual reproduction Advantage No mate needed. Many offspring produced quickly Genetic variation in the offspring. Disadvantage No variation in the offspring Requires both sexes to participate.

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