Plant Reproduction

1. Plant Reproduction

2. Why can flowers make you sneeze?

3. What is pollen?
• Microscopic, dust-like grains released by the male
parts of flowers that contain male gametes.

4. What is the function of flowers?
1. Flowers produce gametes.
2. Flowers attract animals that can pollinate the
plant, and they are where pollination happens.
3. If a zygote forms, the flowers nourishes it (gives it
food) and protects it until it becomes a seed.

5. What are the male parts of a flower?
• Anther = part that makes male gametes (pollen)
• Filament = thin tube that holds up the anther
• Stamen = filament + anther

6. What are the female parts of a flower?
• Pistil (or carpal) = the structure in the very center of
the flower; includes the stigma, style, and ovaries.
• Stigma = top part of the pistil, where pollen lands
• Style = long tube below the stigma; pollen travels
down it to reach the ovaries.
• Ovaries = bottom part of the pistil, where female
gametes (eggs) are produced and stored.

7. What happens during pollination?
1. A pollen grain lands on the sticky stigma.
2. The pollen travels down the style (a long tube).
3. The pollen reaches the ovaries, and the male
gamete joins the female gamete to produce a
zygote (this is called “fertilization”).

8. Why do flowers have big, bright petals and nectar?
• Bright petals and nectar attract insects and other
animals, which can pollinate flowers by carrying
pollen from the anther to the stigma.
• Insects can also carry pollen from one flower to
another flower.

9. How do plants disperse (spread) their seeds?
1) Wind: some seeds, like dandelion seeds, are
designed to be carried by wind.

10. How do plants disperse (spread) their seeds?
2) Water: some seeds, like coconuts, can float in
water to other locations.

11. How do plants disperse (spread) their seeds?
3) Burs: Some seeds can get stuck in an animal’s fur
and carried to a different location.

12. How do plants disperse (spread) their seeds?
4) Fruit: Seeds in the middle of fruit can be eaten by
an animal, digested, and dropped in other locations.

13. How do plants disperse (spread) their seeds?
5) Some seeds, like acorns, can be collected and
buried by animals, who might never come back.

14. How does fruit form?
1) A flower is pollinated.
2) Fertilization occurs, and a zygote forms.
3) The ovary where the zygote is swells up and
becomes a fruit. Meanwhile, the petals and other
parts of the flower fall off so only the fruit is left.

15. Exit Ticket
1. Why can flowers make you sneeze?
2. Why do flowers have such bright petals?
3. Which part of the flower makes pollen – male or
female?
4. What part of the flower does fruit come from?
5. How do plants disperse (spread) their seeds?
Name at least 3 different ways.