U2L4: Plant Reproduction

U2L4: Plant Processes

Plant Reproduction

What are the phases of a plant’s life cycle? - pg 124

• All plants complete their life cycle by alternating between two phases: the sporophyte and the gametophyte.

• In one phase, plants called sporophytes produce spores by meiosis. The spores are then released.

• Meiosis is a process of cell division in which each daughter cell receives half the chromosomes of the parent cell.

• Under the right conditions, spores grow into plants called gametophytes.

• Female gametophytes make eggs and male gametophytes make sperm.

• When a sperm fertilizes an egg, they form an embryo, which develops into a seed. The seed is released and can grow into a new sporophyte.

Multiple Select

What are the 2 phases of a plant's life cycle called? Make sure you choose 2 options!!

• gametophyte

• sporophyte

• spores

• gametes

How do seedless plants reproduce? - pg 125

• In seedless plants, sperm, which have tails & swim to eggs to fertilize them, are released in the presence of water.

• The fertilized eggs grow into sporophytes.

• Some seedless plants, have a visible gametophyte phase.

Multiple Choice

What do seedless plants produce for reproduction?

• gametes

• seeds

• cones

• spores

How do seed plants reproduce? - pg 125

• In most seed plants, the sporophyte makes two types of spores, male and female, that grow into microscopic male and female gametophytes.

• The male gametophyte is pollen, a tiny structure where sperm forms, which can be carried by wind, water, or animals.

• The female gametophyte produces eggs. Pollination happens when pollen lands on and fertilizes the female plant reproductive structure.

Multiple Choice

In seed producing plants, what is the structure called that produces the male cell - sperm?

• sepal

• pollen

• spore

• pistil

How do flowering plants reproduce? - pg 126

• Flowers are reproductive structures with specialized leaves called sepals and petals, which can attract animal pollinators such as insects.

• A stamen is the male reproductive structure of flowers. At the tip of each is an anther, where pollen is produced.

• A pistil is the female reproductive structure of flowers. When pollen reaches the tip of a pistil, called the stigma, pollination occurs.

Multiple Choice

What is the structure in the circle called?

• ovary

• filament

• pistil

• anther

Multiple Choice

What is the structure in the rectangle called?

• ovary

• filament

• pistil

• anther

• A pollen tube grows down the pistil into the ovary, where one or more ovules contain eggs.

• Sperm travel into the ovary & fertilize the eggs, which develop an embryo: a tiny, undeveloped plant.

• The ovule develops into a seed that surrounds and protects the embryo. The ovary becomes a fruit, which protects the seeds and helps them spread.

Multiple Choice

Which happens first?

• sperm fertilizes the egg

• the ovule grows into a seed to protect the embryo

• pollen lands on pistil & travels down pollen tube.

• the ovary grows into a fruit to protect the seed

How do plants reproduce asexually? - pg 127

• Asexual reproduction allows a plant to reproduce without seeds or spores. Part of a parent plant, such as a stem or root, produces a new plant.

• Plantlets, tubers, and runners are examples of structures that plants use to reproduce asexually.

• Plantlets grow on the edges of a plant’s leaves. They fall off and grow on their own.

• Tubers, such as a potato, are underground stems that store nutrients and grow into a new plant.

• Runners, such as strawberries, are above-ground stems that can grow into new plants.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of a runner?