12

Reproduction in Plants
Expected Learning Outcomes

Knowledge to be gained: •Modes of reproduction •Asexual reproduction •Vegetative reproduction

•Structure of a ower •Sexual reproduction •Pollination •Fertilisation •Seed dispersal
Skill to be developed: •Identi cation of male and female sexual parts of a plant.
Attitude to be inculcated: •Reproduction is an important life process and a salient feature of
living organisms.
WHAT IS REPRODUCTION? other parts of its body (like roots, stems or
To produce their own kind is a characteristic of leaves), which are called the vegetative
all living organisms. e production of new parts.
individuals from their parents is known as Modes of Reproduction in Plants
reproduction.
Plants exhibit two types of reproduction,
u Reproduction is one of the most important
namely, asexual and sexual.
characteristics of living organisms.
In asexual reproduction, plants can give rise to
u It is the basic life process that helps maintain
the continuity of a species. new plants without seeds, whereas in sexual
reproduction, new plants are obtained from
u Reproduction can be de ned as the process
seeds.
of producing young ones from the existing
organism of the same species. u Asexual reproduction: It involves the
u A plant may reproduce either by the ower, simple division of the plant body into two or
which is called the reproductive part, or by more plants or the formation of spores.

Reproduction in Plants 165

u Vegetative reproduction: It is also a type u Sexual reproduction: It takes place by the
of asexual reproduction in which new plants formation of gametes (sex cells). In this case,
are produced from the roots, stems, leaves two parents are needed to give rise to a new
and buds of a plant. Since reproduction is individual.
through the vegetative part of a plant, it is
known as vegetative propagation.
Modes of reproduction in plants
Asexual Reproduction Vegetative Propagation Sexual Reproduction
• Methods of natural vegetative propagation:
1. Budding By roots, underground stem, and adventitious By the fusion
buds on leaves. of male and
2. Fragmentation female
• Methods of arti cial vegetative propagation: gametes
3. Sporulation By stem cutting, layering, graing, and tissue
culture.

ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION Activity-1

In asexual reproduction, a single organism is
Aim: To observe budding in yeast.
able to reproduce on its own. In asexual
reproduction, gametes (or sex cells) are not Take some yeast powder from a bakery or a
required. Hence, no fusion of gametes takes chemist shop. Place a pinch of yeast powder in a
place and no seeds are formed (like in sexual 100 ml beaker having some lukewarm water.
reproduction). us, asexual reproduction Add a spoonful of sugar and shake it well to
dissolve the sugar. Aer an hour or so, put a
occurs without seeds. Common forms
drop of this liquid on a glass slide and observe it
of as exual repro duc tion are budding,
under a microscope.
fragmentation and spore formation.
You will see the formation of new yeast cells.
Budding
Draw a simple line diagram of what you see on
Budding is an asexual method of reproduction. the slide. Does your diagram match with the
In budding, a small part of the body of the gure given below? e new yeast cell grows,
parent plant grows out as a bulb-like matures and produces new yeast cells. If this
projection called ‘bud’ which then detaches process continues for some time, a large
and becomes a new plant. e new plant grows, number of yeast cells are produced in a very
matures and produces more buds. If this process short time.
continues, a large number of plants are
produced in a short time.
Yeast is a non-green plant. It is a single-celled
organism, i.e., unicellular organism. Yeast
reproduces by the process of budding. Let us
study how yeast reproduces by budding. Fig.1 Yeast multiplying under a microscope
166 Exploring Science-7
 Developing bud New bud

Parent yeast cell h New yeast cell

etac
s d
d
Bu

Buds r
emain
attache
d
Chain of buds

Fig.2 Budding in yeast

Fragmentation Fungi found on stale bread develop spores

In fragmentation, the body of a plant breaks
up into two or more pieces on maturing, each
of which subsequently grows to form a new
plant. Example: Spirogyra.
Fig.3 Fragmentation in Spirogyra
Have you ever seen slimy green patches in a
pond or a lake? Yes, these patches are of algae.
When water and nutrients are available in
plenty, algae grow and multiply rapidly by
fragmentation. An alga breaks up into two or
more fragments. ese fragments or pieces
grow into new individuals. is process
continues and the algae cover a large area in a
short period of time. is rapid growth of algae
is called eutrophication.
Spore Formation
is is a common met ho d of as exu a l
reproduction in most of the fungi and bacteria.
through which they multiply. e spores
develop in a structure called sporangium.
When the spores are released, they keep oating
in the air. Since they are tiny and very light, they
can cover long distances and remain in the air
for a long time.
e spores are asexual reproductive bodies. A
hard protective coat surrounds each spore. It
can withstand unfavourable conditions, such
as high temperature and drought. Under
favourable conditions, the spores germinate
and develop into a new individual.
Plants such as moss and fern also reproduce by
means of spores.
Spores
Sporangium
Rizoid
Fig.4 Spore formation in bread

Reproduction in Plants 167


Activity-2
Aim: To study spores of Rhizopus (mould that
grows on bread) under a microscope.
Collect a slice of bread having bread mould
(Rhizopus). Observe it under a magnifying
glass. You will see black, thread-like
projections called hyphae, and tiny rounded
structures called sporangium that contain
spores.
Take a clean slide and with a forceps, put some
blackish threads taken out of the mould-
covered bread on it. Observe it under a
microscope. Black-coloured spores are seen in
sporangium.
Open
sporangium
Hypha
(feeding
Spores tubes)
Rhizoids
Fig.5 Spores in sporangium of Rhizopus
Bread mould (Rhizopus) reproduces asexually
by spore formation.
VEGETATIVE REPRODUCTION
Vegetative reproduction is a type of asexual
reproduction in which new plants are
produced from roots, stems, leaves and buds.
ese parts are vegetative parts of a plant.
erefore, this type of reproduction is called
vegetative propagation.
All the plants produced by vegetative
propagation from one plant are exact copies
168
(clones) of the parent plant.
You may have never seen the seeds of potatoes,
sugarcane, rose and bougainvillea. How do
these plants reproduce? ese plants reproduce
vegetatively through their stems.
Bananas, garlic, mint, grapes, roses and many
ot he r pl ant s are g row n by ve ge t at ive
propagation. ere are a number of natural as
well as arti cial methods by which plants
reproduce vegetatively.
Why are potato, ginger, sweet potato, etc.,
swollen? ese plant parts store food in the
form of carbohydrates, so they become swollen.
is stored food is used by the plants when they
multiply by vegetative propagation.
Methods of Natural Vegetative
Propagation
Propagation by roots
Roots of some plants are modi ed to store food.
ese roots are called tuberous roots. e
tuberous roots of plants like asparagus, sweet
potato and dahlia can give rise to new plants.
Old tuberous
root as planted Portion of crown
New tuberous
roots developing
Fig.6 Tuberous root of sweet potato
Exploring Science-7
Propagation by stems
e underground stems of some plants are
modi ed for vegetative propagation. ese
are of the following types:
u Tu b e r : A t u b e r i s t h e s w o l l e n ,
underground stem (or root) of a plant.
ese tuberous roots and stems are used as
food since they contain high amount of
carbohydrates and other nutrients.
Potato is an underground stem tuber that is
swollen due to the food stored in it. It has
buds in the depressions called the eyes.
ese buds give rise to new plants. e
stored food is used up by the new plants to
grow.
u Rhizome: Rhizomes are thick stems that
grow sideways through the soil. ey are
underground stems that bear buds. ese buds
grow to give rise to new plants. Rhizomes are
found in ginger and turmeric.
u Bulb: It is a very short underground stem
surrounded by eshy scale leaves. It is found in
onion. e scale leaves store food. In the
spring, the stem shoots up from the centre of
the scale leaves to form a new plant.
Knowledge Booster
In a potato, the eyes are nodes, and buds in the
eyes are auxiliary buds. These buds develop into
new plants. A node is a part of the stem at which
a leaf arises.

New plantlet

Bud

Bulb of
onion

Nodes
Adventitious
roots
Potato tuber Rhizomes in ginger Bulb of onion
Fig.7 New plants from underground stem

Activity-3
Aim: To observe vegetative reproduction in potatoes.
Take a potato and locate depressions (eyes) on its surface. Each eye has a bud which can grow
into a new plant.
Bud
Cut a few pieces of the potato, each
with an eye. Bury them in moist soil.
Keep the soil moist by sprinkling
water regularly. Aer a few days, each
bud grows into a new plant. Likewise,
you can also grow ginger or turmeric. Potato eye Fig.8 Buds in a potato develop into new plants

Reproduction in Plants 169

Propagation by adventitious buds on
leaves
e leaves of some plants bear buds in their
margins. New plants can grow out of these
buds. e eshy leaves of bryophyllum bear
adventitious buds present along their margin
(Fig. 9). When such a leaf falls on the soil, each
bud grows into an independent plant. Plants
with eshy stems produce new plants when
their parts get detached from the main plant
body. Each detached leaf can grow into a new
plant.
Plants such as cacti, produce new plants when
their parts get detached from the main plant
body and fall on the ground.
In some plants, such as the strawberry plant, the
main plant develops side shoots containing
buds which can grow into new plants.
Methods of Arti cial Vegetative
Propagation
Arti cial vegetative propagation is a simple, fast
and less expensive method of plant propagation.
It is, therefore, commonly used in horticulture
and agriculture. e techniques used are stem
Fig.9 New bryophyllum plant growing from leaves
Daughter plant
Parent plant
Shoot
held
below
soil
Fig.11 Flowering plant developed by layering
170 Exploring Science-7
cutting, layering, graing and tissue culture.
Vegetative propagation is a common method to
develop new varieties of rose, guava, mango,
lemon and orange.
Cutting: Some plants like rose, hibiscus and
sugarcane have buds on their stem. To grow a
new plant, a healthy young branch of such a plant
is cut off and planted in moist soil (Fig. 10).
Layering: e low-hanging young branches of
some plants can be bent towards the ground and
covered with moist soil. Aer some time roots
appear in the underground part of the branches
and a new plant starts to develop alongside the
parent plant (Fig. 11).
Graing : Graing is the technique of
combining the features of two plants. For
example, a high-yielding variety may be graed
to a dis e as e-resist ant var iet y to have
characteristics of both plants. In graing, a
cutting with a bud of one plant, called a scion, is
xed to the cut stem of another plant, called stock.
ey are joined together to form one plant (Fig.
13). Many new varieties of mangoes available in
the market are developed by this method.
Fig.10 Rose grown from stem cutting
Runner
Roots
Daughter plant
Fig.12 Strawberry runner
 Scion
u e new plants are exact copies of the
parent plant as they are produced from a
Wrapped
and single parent.
waxed
Gra u It can produce a large number of plants in a
Stock union
short period of time.
u Plants grown vegetatively usually need
less attention in the early stages than plants
grown from seeds.
Fig.13 Vegetative propagation through graing u Plants like bananas, seedless grapes, roses,
Advantages of vegetative propagation pineapples and dahlias which do not
u Vegetative propagation is a more rapid, produce viable seeds can only be grown
easier and cheaper method of plant vegetatively.
propagation, as compared to the raising of u Desired and improved quality of plants can
plants by seeds. Plants grown by vegetative be obtained by using methods like graing
propagation take less time to grow and
the plants of desired characteristics.
hence bear owers and fruits early.
Checkpoint-1
Write True or False
1. e production of new individuals from their parents is known as reproduction. ______________
2. Plants exhibit three types of reproduction. ______________
3. e spores develop in a structure called sporangium. ______________
4. A vegetative bulb is an underground stem that bears buds. ______________
5. Graing is the technique of combining the features of two plants. ______________

SEXUAL REPRODUCTION Sexual reproduction occurs as a result of

Most animals and plants reproduce sexually.
Sexual reproduction is different from asexual
reproduction because it involves two parents.
e daughter plant thus produced via sexual
reproduction possesses the characteristics of
both parents.
Flowering plants have sexual organs which
contain sex cells in them. ese sex cells are
called gametes. e male sex organ contains
male gametes and the female sex organ contains
female gametes. ese gametes (male + female)
combine to give birth to a new plant.
fusion of male and female gametes. e
gametes (sex cells) are produced in separate
male and female reproductive organs which
may be present in the same plant or in separate
male and female plants.
Flower—e Reproductive Part of a Plant
e ower is the reproductive part of a plant.
Flowers contain the sexual reproductive organs
of a plant. e stamens are the male
reproductive parts, and the pistil is the female
reproductive part of a ower.

Reproduction in Plants 171

 Usually, a ower contains both male and female
parts. Such owers are called bisexual owers,
e.g., rose, mustard, etc. e owers which
contain either stamens or pistil are called
unisexual owers, e.g., maize, papaya,
cucumber, etc.
Both male and female unisexual owers may
be present in the same plant or in different
plants.
Stamen: Stamen is the male reproductive organ
of the ower. It has two parts: A lament and an
anther (Fig. 15). e stalk of the stamen is called
lament and its swollen top is called anther.
Anther contains the pollen grains. Pollen grains
contain the male gametes. Pollen grains appear as
yellow powder to us. ey generally have a tough
protective coating which prevents them from
drying up.
Pistil: Pistil is the female reproductive organ
of the plant. It is made of three parts: stigma,
style and ovary (Fig. 16). e top sticky part of a
pistil is called stigma. e middle part is called
style. Style is a tube which connects the stigma
to the ovary. e swollen part at the bottom of a
pistil is called the ovary. e ovary contains
ovules. Ovules produce female gametes. Each
ovule contains only one female gamete, called
Petal
Stigma
Anther
Style
(Carpel)
Pistil
Stamen
Ovary
Filament
alamus
Sepal Pedicel (stalk)
Fig.14 Structure of a ower
172
an egg. e female reproductive organ of the
plant called pistil is also known as carpel.
A new seed is formed when the male gamete
from the anther fuses with the female gamete
(egg) in the pistil. is process takes place in two
steps: Pollination and Fertilisation.
POLLINATION
e transfer of pollen grains (containing male
gametes) from the anthers to the stigma of a
pistil is known as pollination. is is the rst
step in the process of seed formation.
Generally, pollen grains have a tough protective
coat which prevents them from drying up and
protects the male gametes present inside. Since,
pollen grains are light and wet, they can be
carried by wind, water or by insects.
Types of Pollination
Pollination can occur in two ways—self-
pollination and cross-pollination.
u Self-pollination: In this process, pollen
lands on the stigma of the same ower or of a
different ower of the same plant.
u Cross-pollination: In this case, pollen
lands on the stigma of a ower borne on a
different plant of the same kind.
Pollen grains Stigma
Pollen
Anther
sacs
Style
Line of dehiscence
Ovary
Ovule
Filament
(stalk)
Fig.15 Structure of a stamen Fig.16 Structure of a pistil
Exploring Science-7
 Transfer of pollens Pollen 1. Pollen sticks to the bee
Stigma grains
Stigma 3. Pollen sticks to the pistil
Anther

2. Bee travels
to another plant
of the same type.

Self-pollination Cross-pollination Cross-pollination with the help of a bee

Fig.17
Agents of pollination
Pollination takes place with the help of some
external agents such as wind, water, insects,
birds or mammals. ese external agents are
called agents of pollination. We can say that the
factors that help in the transfer of pollen
grains from anther to stigma are called agents
of pollination.
u Pollination by insects: Why are owers
generally so colourful and fragrant? Flowers
are colourful and fragrant to attract insects
for pollination.
Insects like honey bees, wasps, moths and
butter ies visit owers for nectar. While
collecting nectar, some pollen grains stick to the
body of these insects. When these insects visit
another ower, the pollen grains are brushed
off, some of which fall on the stigma, of those
owers.
e pollen grain falls from the body of the insect
onto the stigma of the ower on which the
insect lands, and thus the process of pollination
takes place.
e insect can land either on the ower of the
same plant (self-pollination) or on the ower of
another plant of the same kind.
Examples of insect-pollinated owers are sweet
pea, orchids, buttercup, sun ower, etc.
Reproduction in Plants
u Pollination by wind: e blowing wind
carries pollen grains from a ower to other
owers and helps in pollination. Wind-
pollinated owers do not have large, brightly
coloured and scented petals or nectar because
they do not have to attract insects.
Male ower head Male ower head
Female
ower
head
Fig.18 Wind pollination in maize
u Pollination by water: Pollination in aquatic
plants is usually carried out by water. Examples of
water-pollinated plants are Sea grass, Hydrilla and
Vallisneria. Water-pollinated owers release their
pollen grains into the water. ese pollen grains are
passively carried to other owers by water currents
for pollination.
Stamen
Flower
Male Female
Fig.19 Water pollination in vallisneria
173

Knowledge Booster
The structure of a flower determines whether
it is self-pollinated or cross-pollinated. A self-
pollinated flower has its anthers located
h i g h e r t h a n t h e s g m a w h i l e a c ro s s -
pollinated flower has a long pis l that
extends beyond the stamens.
FERTILISATION
On reaching the stigma, the pollen grain grows
out into a thin pollen tube. It extends through
the style, reaches the ovary and enters the ovule.
e pollen tube contains two male gametes, one
of which fuses with the female gamete (egg) and
forms a zygote. e process of fusion of a male
gamete with a female gamete to produce a
zygote is called fertilisation.
Pollen grain
Stigma
Pollen tube
Ovary
Eggs
Male gametes
Fig.20 Fertilisation in a ower
174 Exploring Science-7
Aer the formation of the zygote, the petals,
sepals, and stamen fall off. Only the ovary
containing the ovule remains. e ovules
contain a supply of food. e zygote consumes
this food contained in the ovule and develops
into an embryo. An embryo is the part of a seed
which develops into a new plant.
us, the seed is made up of a young plant
(embryo), with stored food, both sealed within
the hard layers of the seed. As the seed forms, the
ovary begins to swell, and eventually becomes a
fruit.
Aer fertilisation, the following changes occur
in the ower:
u e fertilised egg, now called a zygote, grows
into the embryo.
u e ovary grows into a fruit and other parts
of the ower fall off.
u e ovules develop into seeds.
u e seed contains an embryo enclosed in a
protective seed coat.
Seed
A seed is a matured ovule that contains the
embryo and the stored food. It is enclosed by a
seed coat formed of two coverings.
Fruit
A fruit is the seed-bearing structure of a
owering plant. Actually, it is the ripened
ovary of the plant and seeds are the matured
ovules of the fruit.
Fruits can be eshy and juicy or they can be
stony and hard. Mango, apple and orange are
eshy and juicy fruits, whereas almonds and
walnuts are stony and hard fruits.
 Dispersal of dandelion Hooks on tiger nail seeds Dispersal of coconut by water Dispersal by explosion in peas
seed by air
Fig.21 Various methods of seed dispersal

SEED DISPERSAL Dispersal by Animals

e main function of the fruit is to help the Some seeds are dispersed by animals. Such
seeds disperse to different places to increase seeds have spines or hooks which cling to the
their chances of survival. In case all the seeds bodies of animals and are carried to long
fall in the same place, there would be severe distances, as in Xanthium and Urana.
competition for space, sunlight, water and
Man, animals and birds eat the pulp of the edible
minerals. erefore, dispersal of seeds is
part of eshy fruits and throw their seeds. is
bene cial to plants as:
helps in their dispersal. e small and undigested
u It ensures that the plants are dispersed over a
seeds come out of their body. e seeds of guava
wide area.
and berries are dispersed this way.
u It avoids overcrowding and competition
Dispersal by Explosion
among the plants for space, sunlight, water
and minerals. Fruits of balsam, pea, geranium and castor burst
with sudden jerks and the seeds get scattered
Seeds and fruits are dispersed by wind, water,
away from the parent plant.
animals, etc.
Germination of Seed
Dispersal by Wind
On reaching the moist soil, the seed swells up by
Fruits and seeds scattered by wind are usually
small and light. Seeds of maple, dandelion and absorbing water. e embryo starts growing. Its
drumsticks have wings attached to them, which radicle grows down into the soil and forms the
help them oat in the air to travel long distances root. e plumule grows upward in the air,
(Fig. 21). develops leaves and forms the shoot of the young
Light seeds of grasses or hairy seeds of oak plant (Fig. 22).
and cotton, and hairy fruits of sun owers get
blown to faraway places by wind.
Dispersal by Water
Dispersal by water takes place in some aquatic
plants and also in some plants which grow
near a water body. Seeds of water lily oat and
thus are dispersed by water. e coconut seed
has a tough brous covering which has plenty
of air inside. is helps the coconut seeds in
oating on water. Fig.22 Germination of a seed
175
Checkpoint-2
Fill in the blanks
1. ____________ is the reproductive part of a plant.
2. e ____________ is the male reproductive part of a ower and the ____________ is the
female reproductive part of a ower.
3. e owers which contain either stamens or pistils are called __________ owers.
4. Pistil consists of ____________, ____________ and ____________.
5. Pollination in aquatic plants is usually carried out by ____________.

Keywords
Reproduction : Process of producing young ones of its own type.
Fragmentation : Development of new individuals from the pieces of the body.
Spore : An asexual reproductive part having a hard protective outer covering.
Budding : Development of a new individual from a bud-like outgrowth of the body.
Gamete : Reproductive cell formed in a reproductive organ.
Pollen grains : Fine particles formed in anther that give rise to male gametes.
Pollination : Transferring of pollen grains to the stigma of a ower.
Fertilisation : Fusion of male and female gametes.
Zygote : e cell formed due to fertilisation.

Points to Remember
u e production of new individuals from their parents is known as reproduction.
u Reproduction is the basic life process that helps maintain the continuity of a race.
u In plants, there are two modes of reproduction—asexual and sexual.
u In asexual reproduction, a single organism is able to reproduce on its own.
u Budding, fragmentation and spore formation are modes of asexual reproduction in plants.
u Fragmentation is a process of asexual reproduction in which an individual divides into two or
more individuals.
u Vegetative reproduction is a type of asexual reproduction in which new plants are produced
from roots, stems, leaves and buds.
u A rhizome is an underground stem that bears buds.
u e vegetative bulb is a very short underground stem surrounded by eshy scale leaves.
u Layering, cutting and graing are some of the methods of arti cial vegetative reproduction in
plants.

176 Exploring Science-7

u Sexual reproduction requires two parents—a male parent which produces male gametes and
a female parent which produces female gametes.
u e ower is the reproductive part of a plant.
u e stamens are the male reproductive parts and the pistil is the female reproductive part of a
ower.
u e transfer of pollen grains from the anthers to the stigma of the pistil is known as
pollination.
u Fertilisation occurs aer pollination. e process of fusion of the male gamete and female
gamete to form a zygote is called fertilisation.
u Aer fertilisation, the ovary converts into fruits and ovules convert into seeds.
u Fruits and seeds are dispersed by various agents of dispersion.
u e main function of the fruit is to help the seeds disperse to different places to increase their
chances of survival.

Exercise
A. Tick (3) the Correct Option
1. Which of the following reproductions takes place by the formation of gametes?
(a) Vegetative reproduction (b) Sexual reproduction
(c) Asexual reproduction (d) None of these
2. Which of the following is not a mode of reproduction?
(a) Asexual reproduction (b) Pollination
(c) Sexual reproduction (d) Fertilisation
3. Which of the following is the reproductive part of a plant?
(a) Leaf (b) Flower
(c) Fruit (d) Seed
4. Seeds of which of the following is dispersed by explosion?
(a) Coconut (b) Xanthium
(c) Balsam (d) Guava
5. Reproduction by budding is found in:
(a) bacteria (b) yeast
(c) rhizopus (d) sporangium

Reproduction in Plants 177

B. Fill in the Blanks with Suitable Words
1. To produce their own kind is a characteristic of all ____________ organisms.
2. e reproductive cell formed in a reproductive organ is called ____________.
3. Rhizome is an underground ____________ that bears buds.
4. ____________ is the male reproductive part of a ower.
5. Flowers are colourful and fragrant to attract insects for ____________.
C. Very-Short-Answer-Type Questions
1. De ne reproduction.
2. Name some common forms of asexual reproduction.
3. All new plants produced by vegetative reproduction are exact copies of their parent plant.
True or False?
4. Name three plants which reproduce vegetatively through their stems.
5. Name two plants on which stem cutting method could be used to grow new plants.
6. Bulbs of ginger and turmeric can shoot up a stem that can grow into new plants. True or
False?
7. Fusion of male and female gametes is necessary for sexual reproduction. True or False?
8. Name the parts that make up the stamen, the male reproductive organ of a ower.
9. Name the parts that make up the pistil, the female reproductive organ of a ower.
10. De ne fertilisation.
D. Short-Answer-Type Questions
1. What is vegetative reproduction? Why is it considered as a type of asexual reproduction?
2. What is eutrophication?
3. How do the swollen parts of ginger and potato help during vegetative propagation?
4. What is graing? How is it helpful to farmers?
5. How does a bryophyllum plant naturally reproduce?
6. What are gametes? Where are they found?
7. Differentiate between unisexual owers and bisexual owers.
8. What is pollination? What are the two ways in which it occurs?
9. Explain how does the egg present in the pistil of a ower fertilises.
10. What changes occur once fertilisation in a ower takes place?

178 Exploring Science-7

E. Long-Answer-Type Questions
1. Describe the different means of asexual reproduction in plants.
2. Brie y describe the various methods of natural vegetative propagation.
3. What are the prominent advantages of vegetative propagation?
4. With the help of a few diagrams, describe the structure of a ower containing male and
female reproductive organs.
5. Describe how insects and water help in pollination.
6. Give an overview of how seeds and fruits are dispersed.

HOTS
1. It is seen that the stagnant water bodies develop slimy green cover. Why?
2. Why do the seeds dispersed by animals have spines and hooks?
3. Can owers pollinated by insects also be pollinated by wind?

Activity Zone
ink of ten different fruit-bearing plants. Remember that many vegetables are also fruits of the
plants. Discuss with your teacher, parents, gardeners and agricultural experts and nd out the
manner of their dispersal. Present your data in the form of a table as shown below.

Agents through which seeds Parts of the seed which

Sl.No. Names of fruit-bearing plants
are disperesed help in dispersal

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Reproduction in Plants 179

 Memory Map

By root By underground By Arti cial

stem leaves method

Vegetative
propagation
REPRODUCTION IN
Sexual PLANTS Asexual
through

Flower
Budding Fragmentation Sporulation
Pistil Stamen
(Female sex organ) (Male sex organ)

Pollination

Fertilisation Fruit Seed dispersal Germination

e-Resources
Please visit the link given below or scan the QR code for more resources on
this chapter:
https://www.megamindpublication.com/s-3-science/b-3-exploring-science-7/c-38/reproduction-in-plants.html

180 Exploring Science-7