Plant life cycle or growing
cycle of plants
Submitted By : Ansh Malik
Subject : Environmental Science
Plant life cycle or growing cycle
The plants are the important components of this living ecosystem. Their life
cycle starts with the falling of
seeds on the ground, dispersed by some pollinating agents.
The 6 stages of the plant life cycle
Seed stage
Germination
Growth
Flowering stage
Pollination (Reproductive stage)
Fruit stage (Seed dispersal stage)
Seed stage
This is the first stage of the life cycle in plants.
The seed contains the miniature plant inside it in the form of
an embryo.
In angiosperms, the cotyledons are also found, which provide
nourishment to the growing embryo inside the seed.
The seed gets dispersed by various agents to distant soil where
the development occurs.
Cotyledons emerge as the first leaf after the germination of the
seed.
The seed coat is the additional coverage that protects against
the harsh conditions of the environment.
Germination
As the seed falls on the ground, the seed needs a
suitable temperature and moisture to start
the germination process.
After the seeds are planted in the soil, under suitable
conditions, the seed starts absorbing moisture and
water, resulting in the swelling of the seed.
This swelling leads to the rupture of the seed coat, and
the hypocotyl emerges out of the seed to transform
into the stem.
This proliferation of a little stem-like structure from
the seed is called germination.
In monocots, the seed coat does not rupture and is
fixed in one place.
The hypocotyl originates from one specific point in
monocots.
Growth stage
In order to sustain the various developmental changes in its body,
the plant produces food.
This food is produced by the process of photosynthesis and is
essential to the growth life cycle.
The process of photosynthesis occurs by adding up carbon dioxide
and water to form glucose and release oxygen.
The chloroplasts in the leaf cells help in the process by trapping the
sunlight. This light energy is used for the hydrolysis of water.
The sugars which are produced by photosynthesis get stored in the
roots and stem.
The plant’s root system develops further and anchors the soil firmly
to give the proper support to the plant.
The meristem tissue in the leaf divides and proliferates into new
leaves.
After a while, the adult plant gives out the flowers on the stem,
which marks the next stage in the life cycle of plants.
Pollination stage
Pollination is a stage where the plants release pollen
grains to reach the female part of the flowers.
Some of the flowers may contain only the male or the
female parts and not both.
In such a case, the pollen is carried away from one flower
to another with the help of the pollinating agents.
This results in the pollen distribution onto the female
part’s stigma.
The pollinating agents are mainly: the wind, water, birds,
or some insects like honeybees.
These pollinators play an essential role in producing new
species of plants.
Even when the flower is bisexual, the plant benefits from
the other flower’s pollen.
Seed dispersal stage
Seed dispersal stage
Seed dispersal is the final stage of the plant’s
life cycle.
The seeds separate from the parent plant and
are spread in the atmosphere by wind, animals,
or the water current.
The seeds get dispersed to distant positions
where they eventually start the plant’s life
cycle in new soil.
