SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE BIOLOGY

UNIT 2/B10: REPRODUCTION
SEXUAL REPRODUCTION IN PLANTS

B10.REPRODUCTION
SEXUAL REPRODUCTION IN PLANTS

SEXUAL REPRODUCTION IN PLANTS

Pollen grains contain ____________________________from plants. Their function is to allow sexual
reproduction in the plants. For sexual reproduction to occur in flowering plants, pollen must be transferred from
the male part of a flower to the female part of a flower. This process is called _______________________.
Plants with brightly coloured flowers are usually pollinated by insects. Pollen rubs onto part of the insect, which
then moves to another flower where the pollen rubs off again.
In flowers:

 each male part is called a stamen, and consists of an _________________________________________.

 the female part is called the carpel, and consists of an ________________________________________.

Pollen is produced by the anthers. Seeds will eventually develop in the ovary.

POLLINATION
Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma. Flowers can be___________________
__________________________________________________. The structure of the pollen grains differs
according to the type of pollination involved.
There are two categories of pollination: __________________________________________________________.
Self-pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from the anther of a flower to the stigma of the same flower, or
to a different flower on the same plant. Peanuts, orchids, peas, rice, tomatoes and potatoes are examples of
plants that self-pollinate.
The advantage of self-pollination is that the plants do not need to rely on pollinators such as insects, so they can
grow in areas where pollinators may not live. However, self-pollination reduces variation within a population of
plants. This reduces the ability of the population to respond to changes in the environment, such as changes in
the climate or the introduction of a disease.

Cross-pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from the anther of a flower to the stigma of a flower on a
different plant of the same species. Apples, grapes, strawberries, raspberries and daffodils are examples of
plants that cross-pollinate.
The advantage of cross-pollination is that variation increases within a population of plants. This improves the
ability of the population to respond to changes in the environment and to disease. However, a disadvantage of
cross-pollination is that it relies on pollinators – such as wind, insects and other animals – to transport the pollen
from one plant to another.

STRUCTURE OF WIND-POLLINATED AND INSECT-POLLINATED PLANTS

FERTILIZATION AND THE PRODUCTION OF SEEDS

Fertilization occurs when a _________________
_______________________________________.

After pollination, a pollen tube begins to grow

through the style towards the ovary. Two male
gametes, the sperm, move through this tube.
Eventually the pollen tube reaches the ovule. The nucleus of one of the two sperm cells fuses with the egg cell
nucleus (fertilisation) to form a zygote. The zygote develops into an embryo, which eventually becomes the new
plant.

The nucleus of the other sperm cell fuses with a cell in the ovule,
forming a cell which goes on to develop into the food store for
the seed.The seeds will be dispersed away from the parent
plant. In the right conditions, they will begin to open, in a
process called germination, eventually forming new plants.
To germinate, seeds need:

 _____________________________________
 _____________________________________
 _____________________________________

You could investigate the effects of water and temperature on the germination of seeds, using the following
method. Radish seeds, beans, lentils or apple seeds are suitable.