Pollen Seeds and Seed Cones

• Pollen cones produce pollen grains, which make up the entire

male gametophyte stage.
• One of the haploid nuclei in the pollen grain will divide later to
produce two sperm nuclei.
 Pollen Seeds and Seed Cones
• Seed cones produce female gametophytes and are generally
much larger than pollen cones.
• Near the base of each scale are two ovules, where the female
gametophytes develop. Within the ovules, meiosis occurs
producing haploid cells that grow and divide into female
gametophytes. Each gametophyte contains a few large egg
cells.
Pollination and Fertilization
• In the spring, pollen cones release pollen grains that are
carried away by the wind, as shown in the figure.
• Some pollen grains are caught in a sticky secretion on the
scales of female cones and are pulled inside towards the
ovule.
• This direct transfer of pollen to the female cone allows
fertilization to take place without the need for open water.
Development Inside Seeds
• If a pollen grain lands near an ovule, the grain splits open
and begins to grow a structure called a pollen tube, which
contains two haploid sperm nuclei.
• Once the pollen tube reaches the female gametophyte, one
sperm nucleus disintegrates; the other fertilizes the egg.
• Fertilization produces a diploid zygote, which grows into an
embryo.
• A seed is an encased embryo that is ready to be scattered
by the wind and grow into a plant.
 Types of Seed Plants Figure 22–19 The Structure of a
Seed
Section 22-4

• The gymnosperms, which

produce seeds that develop Seed coat
Seed

in cones Embryo
Wing

• The angiosperms, flowering Stored

food supply
B

plants, which produce seeds

that develop within fruitsGo to
A

Section:
 Naked Seed (Gymnosperms)
Traits:
• most produce cones
• have needle-like
leaves that prevent
water loss
• seed is not protected
by fruit
 Gymnosperms
• Most living gymnosperms
– produce seeds in cones - conifers
– have needle-like leaves to reduce water loss
– have seeds that protect the embryo
– use wind pollination
– exhibit secondary growth –
growth in width of stem
 Gymnosperms
• Produce two types of cones - male and
female
• large woody cones produce ovules
– smaller, softer cones produce pollen
• huge amounts of pollen because the wind
is unpredictable
 Some Gymnosperms

Far right:
ginkgo;
bottom right -
Ephedra
 Angiosperms/Anthophyta/
Magnoliophyta
• Angiosperms are the most successful
plants, comprising 90% of all living plant
species.
 Angiosperms
Flowering plants have specialized spore forming
structures that we call flowers
Pollen is produced in anthers and is moved to the
pistil (carpel) by various means (pollination)
Some flowers have special color patterns or structure
that attract insect or other pollinators
some produce lots of pollen but no showy petals and
are wind-pollinated
 Angiosperms
Pollination leads to fertilization, which is unique
in being double (one sperm joins egg to make
zygote; another makes endosperm)
Ovary of pistil ripens to become a fruit, whose job
is to disperse the seeds
 Angiosperms
The flowering plants make up the largest and most diverse group of plants; they
are the dominant land life form most places on Earth.
Among the different types of flowers there is a wide range of forms and
“strategies” for getting pollinated.
Some flowers, have no petals and are wind pollinated; others, like the bee
orchid, have elaborate lures and disguises that attract only certain pollinators.

A male bee will try to mate with this

orchid that mimics a female bee; this
can result in pollination.

Each “catkin” above consists of numerous pollen-

producing flowers that dump lots of pollen causing
pollination (and allergies).
 Angiosperms
Traits
• produce flowers
• form seeds
enclosed by fruit
 Angiosperms
• Adaptations that allowed success:
– Flowers - reproductive structures that attract
animal pollinators (more dependable than wind!)
– Fruits – protect the seed and aid in dispersal
– Many angiosperms can go through entire life
cycle (seed plantnew seeds) in one growing
season
– More diverse can occupy more niches than
gymnosperms
Flowering plant
Plants in Our
Lives
Most of the world’s food plants are in the flowering
plants, and most people in the world depend on only a few
types for their main source of food. And, most of these
“staple” crops are grasses: wheat, rice, corn, oats, barley,
rye, sorghum.
 CONCLUSION

In all groups of the

multicellular plants there
is an alternation of a
haploid, gametophyte
generation and a diploid,
sporophyte generation.
In this type of life cycle
meiosis always occurs to
produce spores. Gametes
(eggs and sperm cells) are
formed by mitosis on the
gametophyte plants.
• All plants exhibit a life cycle, known as
alternation of generations, that involves
two phases:
– Gametophyte phase - a haploid plant that
produces gametes
– Sporophyte phase - a diploid plant that
produces spores
• A major difference between vascular and
nonvascular plants is the dominant part of
their life cycle.
Generalized Plant Life Cycle

MITOSIS

ZYGOTE

MITOSIS
 Alternating Life Cycles
– Lower plants have a dominant gametophyte but as
plants became more complex, the sporophyte
generation predominates
– In the most advanced plants, the gametophyte grows
within the tissues of the sporophyte
3 Variations on Alternation of Generations in Plants