Asexual and Sexual Reproduction in Plants

Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes
Also referred to as vegetative propagation in plants
Three examples of types of vegetative propagation are; runners in flowering plants, rhizomes in ferns and apomixis

Type	Definition	Image and Example
Runners in flowering plants	Modified horizontal stems that produce new roots, shoots and leaves at each node, meaning that the runner can be divided into individual plants that are clones of one another.	Strawberry runners
Rhizomes in ferns	Modified horizontal stems that produce new shoots at each node. Rhizomes can be separated from each other and can put down their old roots to produce a new individual.	Fern rhizome
Apomixis	Plantlets that include seeds arise on leaves without resulting from fertilisation or seed production. These are clones of the parent and can fall off and produce a new plant. Seeds can also be dispersed.	Kalanchoe plantlets

The ovule is the organ that forms the ova, which becomes the seed after fertilisation
The ovary produces the ovules and hormones controlling reproduction
The style of the tube connecting the stigma to the ovary which allows the pollen (containing male gametes) to reach the ova
The style is long to increase the chances of the stigma collecting pollen
The stigma collects pollen and grains
The carpel is the female reproductive organs
The anther produces the male gamete (pollen)
The stamen is the male reproductive organs
The filament supports the anther above the central part of the flower
The sepal protects the unopened bud
Petals are often colourful to attract animals
Pollination is the transfer of pollen (which contains the male gamete) to the stigma of the flower
After the pollen lands, it grows a pollen tube so that the male gamete can reach the ovule to allow fertilisation to occur
Plants depend on agents such as wind, water and animals to carry their pollen from the anthers from one flower to the stigma of another flower (cross-pollination) or on the stigma of the same flower (self-pollination)

Feature of flower	Wind Pollinated	Insect Pollinated	Bird Pollinated
Petals	Non-existent, dull or reduced because this would be a waste of resources.	Yellow or purple because insects can see these colours clearly.	Red because birds can see red clearly.
Scent	Does not produce.	Stong scent because insects have a good sense of smell.	Reduced as birds have a poor sense of smell.
Nectar	Does not produce.	Not a lot is produced because insects are small and don’t eat much.	Lots of nectar for birds to eat.
Anthers	Make up the majority of the flower and protruding (sticking out) so that wind can easily blow pollen away.	Yellow. Commonly lower than stigma so that visiting insects are covered in it when they leave the flower.	Not protruding and usually lower than stigma because birds will come into contact with them when feeding.
Stigma	Protruding and often long and feathery to increase surface area for trapping pollen in the wind.	Higher than anthers, so that pollen on visiting insects gets removed on entry.	Higher than anthers so that visiting birds scrape pollen.
Pollen	Lots of lightweight pollen, white.	Yellow and sticky for attaching to insects' bodies.	Sticky, powdery, yellow. Small amounts are produced because pollination is less random than wind pollination.

After pollination and the fertilisation of flowers occur, seeds (fertilised ovules) are dispersed
They are distributed away from the parent plant to reduce competition between the new offspring and its parent
Seed dispersable helps ensure the continuity of a species because it allows for a wider gene pool which increases the chance of survival as those better suited for an environment are more likely to survive and reproduce offspring with the favourable trait and