Sexual reproduction in flowering plants

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes about the biology of reproduction, focusing on the processes in flowering plants and human reproductive health.

Angiosperms

A group of flowering plants that undergo sexual reproduction.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma of a pistil.

Microsporogenesis

The process of formation of microspores from a pollen mother cell through meiosis.

Gynoecium

The female reproductive part of the flower, consisting of one or more pistils.

Apomixis

A form of asexual reproduction that mimics sexual reproduction to produce seeds without fertilization.

Endosperm

Triploid tissue that provides nutrition to the developing embryo in the seed.

Cleistogamous flowers

Flowers that do not open at all and achieve self-pollination.

Xenogamy

Pollination that occurs by transferring pollen from the anther of one plant to the stigma of another plant.

Syngamy

The fusion of a male gamete with an egg cell, resulting in the formation of a zygote.

Polyembryony

The phenomenon where more than one embryo develops from a single ovule.

Double fertilization

A unique process in flowering plants where one male gamete fuses with the egg cell while another fuses with two polar nuclei to form the endosperm.

Filament

The stalk of a stamen that supports the anther.

Stigma

The part of the pistil where pollen grains land and germinate.

Integument

Protective layers surrounding the ovule in the ovary.

Sporopollenin

A durable component of the pollen grain wall that provides protection.

Embryo sac

The female gametophyte present in ovules, where the egg cell and polar nuclei are located.

Generative cell

A cell within pollen grains that divides to form two male gametes.

Monosporic development

Formation of the female gametophyte from a single megaspore.

Ovary

The enlarged basal portion of a pistil that contains ovules.

Nucellus

The central tissue of the ovule that contains the embryo sac.

Viability

The ability of pollen grains to remain capable of fertilizing the ovule.

Traditional hybridization

A method in breeding that integrates desired traits from two different parent plants.

Sporogenous tissue

Cells within the microsporangium that develop into microspores.

Chalaza

The basal part of the ovule opposite to the micropyle, where integuments and nucellus fuse.

Tapetum

The innermost layer of the anther wall that nourishes developing pollen grains.