13.
Reproduction in plants
CIE IGCSE
Biology
CHAPTER
14 Ahmet GÜNER, PhD
Source: Cambridge IGCSE Biology Course Book
Reproduction is one of the characteristics of all living
things. Each kind of organism has its own particular
method of reproducing, but all of these methods fit
into one of two categories – asexual reproduction or
sexual reproduction.
Sexual Mode – New plants
are obtained from seeds.
Asexual Mode – New plants
are obtained without
producing seeds.
The concept map is a diagrammatic representation showing the relationship
between each concept.
Asexual Reproduction
• Asexual reproduction does not involve sex cells or
fertilisation.
• Only one parent is required so
• there is no fusion of gametes and
• no mixing of genetic information.
• As a result, the offspring are genetically identical to the
parent and to each other (clones).
• Asexual reproduction is defined as a process resulting
in genetically identical offspring from one parent.
Asexual Reproduction
• Asexual reproduction can quickly and efficiently
produce many plants, all genetically identical to one
another.
• This is advantageous to the grower if the original plant has
exactly the characteristics that are wanted, such as
• large and attractive flowers, or
• good flavour, or
• high yields.
Asexual
reproduction in
potatoes
Some plants develop
underground food
storage organs that will
develop into next years
plants - they can take
different forms, such as
bulbs or tubers
Few asexual methods are budding (e.g. Hydra), binary fission (e.g.
Amoeba, bacteria), spore formation (e.g. ferns), fragmentation (e.g.
Planaria), and vegetative propagation (e.g. Onion).
The bud grows,
eventually
detaching and
forming an
independent
organism with
genetic
similarities to
the parent.
This method is seen
in yeast, some fungi,
and certain plants
like hydra and
certain types of
• Binary fission in plant reproduction is a form of asexual reproduction
where a plant cell duplicates its genetic material and divides into two
identical daughter cells.
These spores are
typically single-celled
Plants produce and can develop into
spores through a new plants under
process called suitable conditions.
sporogenesis, and
these spores are
dispersed to grow
into new individuals.
ferns,
mosse
s, and
fungi
Hydra, genus of invertebrate freshwater animals of the
class Hydrozoa
Some plants grow side
shoots called runners that
contain tiny plantlets on
them.
These will grow roots and develop into separate plants, again being
genetically identical to the parent plant.
Some plants grow side shoots called
runners that contain tiny plantlets on
them. These will grow roots and
develop into separate plants.
a good example of this
are strawberry plants
Advantages & Disadvantages of
Asexual Reproduction: Extended
Specifically in crop plants, asexual
reproduction can be advantageous as it means
that a plant that has good characteristics (high
yield, disease-resistant, hardy) can be made to
reproduce asexually and the entire crop will
show the same characteristics.
Sexual Reproduction in plants
• Sexual reproduction
• a process involving the fusion of the nuclei of
two gametes (sex cells) to form a zygote
(fertilised egg cell) and the production of
offspring that are genetically different from
each other.
• Fertilisation
• the fusion of gamete nuclei, and as each gamete
comes from a different parent, there is variation in
the offspring.
Sexual Reproduction in
plants
• Plants that reproduce sexually have sex parts which we know as
flowers.
• The process of reproduction involves the fusion of male gametes,
namely, pollen with the female gamete, also known as ovules.
• This fusion results in the formation of a zygote and an endosperm
nucleus, which grow into seeds and fruits respectively.
Sexual Reproduction in plants -
Flowers
• A flower is the reproductive part of a plant which can either be
unisexual or bisexual. Stamen is the male reproductive part and the
pistil is the female reproductive part of a flower.
UNISEXUAL
FLOWERS: BISEXUAL
A flower that FLOWERS:
possesses A flower that
either possesses
stamens or both stamens
carpels but not and carpels.
both are called Examples
unisexual
include lily,
flowers.
Examples rose,
include coconut sunflower etc.
flowers,
papaya,
watermelon
etc.
Pollen grains and ovules
• The male
gametes are
inside the pollen
grains, which are
made in the
anthers.
Pollen grains and ovules
Pollen grains and ovules
• The female gametes are inside the
ovules, in the ovary.
• Each ovule contains a nucleus.
• Fertilasition happens when a
pollen grain nucleus fuses with an
ovule nucleus.
What is Pollination?
• Pollination is a method where pollen grains are picked from an anther,
which is the male part of a flower and transferred to the flower’s female
part called the stigma. To make the pollination work successfully, the
pollen grains must be transferred from the same species of flower.
Pollination
• Pollination is often carried out by insects such as honeybees come to flowers,
attracted by their colour and strong sweet scent (odor).
Types of Pollination
• All plants having flowers completely rely on pollination method for
reproduction. There are 2 types of pollination:
• Self Pollination
• Cross-Pollination
The pollen
from a flower
can land on
its own
stigma
known as
self-
pollination.
• Self-pollination reduces genetic variety of the
offspring as all the gametes come from the same parent
(and are therefore genetically identical).
• Cross-pollination occurs when the pollen from one plant is
transferred to the stigma of another plant of the same species.
• This is the way most plants carry out pollination as it improves
genetic variation.
Wind Pollination
• You can see how smooth they are, compared with the spiky pollen grains.
Features of an insect-
pollinated flower
• Insect pollinated flowers
produce smaller amounts
of larger, heavier pollen
grains that often contain
spikes or hooks on the
outside so they are better
able to stick to insects.
Features of an wind-
pollinated flower
• Wind pollinated flowers
produce large amounts
of small, lightweight
pollen grains that are
usually smooth
Fertilisati
on
Fertilisati
on
Students often get confused between pollination
and fertilisation in plants, but they are not the
same thing.
Think of pollination as the plant’s equivalent to
human sexual intercourse – after sex, the male
sex cells (sperm) have been deposited into the
female. But, for fertilisation to occur, the nucleus
from a male sperm cell has to fuse with the
nucleus of a female sex cell (egg) and the sperm
has to travel to find the egg before this happens.
It’s exactly the same in plants!
Seeds
• After the ovules have been fertilised,
many of the parts of the flower are
not need any more.
• The sepals, petals and stamens have
all done their job. They wither (dry
and shrink) and fall off.
• Inside the ovary, the ovules start to
grow.
• Each ovule now contains a zygote,
which was formed at fertilisation.
• The zygote divides by mitosis to form
an embryo plant.
• The ovule is now a seed.
Factors Affecting Germination of Seeds
• Germination is the start of growth in the seed.
• Three factors are required for successful germination:
• Water - allows the seed to swell up and the
enzymes in the embryo to start working so that
growth can occur
• Oxygen - so that energy can be released for
germination
• Warmth - germination improves as temperature
rises (up to a maximum) as the reactions which
take place are controlled by enzymes
