10- Flowers and Reproduction

Asexual Reproduction

A method of reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes and results in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent.

Fragmentation

A form of asexual reproduction where an organism breaks into fragments, each of which can develop into a new individual.

Flower Anatomy

The structure and arrangement of the different parts of a flower.

Carpels

Also known as pistils, these are the female reproductive organs of a flower that contain one or more ovules.

Stamens

The male reproductive organs of a flower that produce pollen.

Petals

The colorful, leaf-like structures of a flower that attract pollinators.

Sepals

The outermost floral appendages of a flower that protect the developing flower buds.

Complete Flowers

Flowers that have all four floral appendages - sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels.

Incomplete Flowers

Flowers that lack at least one of the four floral appendages.

Double Fertilization

A unique process in angiosperms where one sperm cell fuses with the egg to form the zygote, and the other sperm cell fuses with the polar nuclei to form the endosperm nucleus.

Gametophyte

The haploid phase of the plant life cycle that produces gametes.

Pollen Tube

A tube that grows from a pollen grain and delivers the sperm cells to the ovule.

Fertilization

The fusion of male and female gametes to form a zygote.

Embryo and Seed Development

The process by which a zygote develops into an embryo and a seed.

Cross Pollination

The transfer of pollen from the flower of one plant to the flower of another plant.

Self Pollination

The transfer of pollen from the flower of a plant to the stigma of the same flower or another flower on the same plant.

Monoecious

A plant species that has both staminate (male) and carpellate (female) flowers on the same plant.

Dioecious

A plant species that has separate male and female plants, with male plants producing only staminate flowers and female plants producing only carpellate flowers.

Coevolution

The reciprocal evolutionary changes between two interacting species, such as a flower and its pollinator.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma of a flower, resulting in fertilization.