THE ANGIOSPERMS

Sources of information

• OpenStax Biology 2e Chapter 26 (on

Learn 2023)
• Pearson Biology Chapter 30 (pages 698 –
707)
 Learning outcomes
By the end of this lecture you should be able
to understand:
• Characteristics of angiosperms
• Arrangement of floral whorls of a flower
• Two innovative adaptations that allowed
angiosperms to diversify
• Five derived traits that are seen in seed plants
• Life cycle of angiosperms
• Differentiate between monocots and dicots
• Double fertilization in angiosperms
 What are
angiosperms?

 Angiosperms are plants that contain

flowers and their seeds are enclosed
in a fruit
 Classified in a single phylum called
Anthnophyta
 Commonly known as flowering plants
 Angiosperms are the most dominant
and diverse group of land plants
 They represent 90% of all plant
species in the world
 More than 200 000 known species
• Evolved about 140 mya

• Since about 80 mya fossil

angiosperm leaves outnumber
gymnosperms

• Provide food for most animals

• Wide diversity of growth

forms

• Dominate earth’s vegetation

today
• The most diverse and
widespread of all plant
groups, about 235,000
species.
• Thought to have evolved from
Gnetophytes.
• Includes monocots and dicots.
• Both xylem tracheids and
vessels conduct water
(gymnosperms only have
xylem tracheids – exceptions
are the gnetophytes).
• Unique structures are flowers and
fruits (which enclose seeds).
• Use insects and other animals for
pollination, some wind-pollinated.

https://za.pinterest.com/pin/357825132869833570/
 Key
adaptations
 Two key adaptations of
angiosperms are:
 Flowers specialized for
sexual reproduction
 Fruits aid in the
dispersal of seeds
Characteristics of angiosperms

• heterosporous
• dominant sporophyte generation
• completely reduced gametophyte
generation (endosporous)
• female gametophyte reduced to
only a few cells
• ovules and pollen produced in
flowers
 Carpel

Stamen

5 cm

Archaefructus sinensis,
a 125-million-year-old
fossil

Artist’s reconstruction of
Archaefructus sinensis
 STAMEN CARPEL
(male reproductive part) (female reproductive part)

filament anther stigma style ovary

ANDROECIUM:
All male flower parts

GYNOECIUM:
All female flower parts

OVULE
PETAL (all petals (forms within ovary)
combined are the
flower’s corolla)

SEPAL (all sepals

combined are the
flower’s calyx)
receptacle
 Flower
• Flowers are angiosperm structures specialized for sexual
reproduction
• A flower is a specialized shoot with up to four types of
modified leaves:
•Sepals, which enclose the flower
•Petals, which attract pollinators
•Stamens, which produce pollen
•Carpels, which form ovaries containing ovules
• After fertilization ovules become seeds, ovaries become fruits
 Corolla
Gynoecium

Perianth Fertile
Sterile

Calyx Androecium

All Angiosperm flowers are based on this simple plan

Plan view from the outside
Outer whorl- sterile: calyx (sepals);
corolla (petals)
Inner whorls- fertile: androecium;
gynoecium
 Receptacle and sepals
• Receptacle: structure at the
base where the flower is
attached
• Sepals: green leafy
structures found at the
outermost of the flower
• Sepals collectively called
the calyx
• Encloses and protect the
flower before it opens
 Petals
• Brightly colored to attract
pollinators
• Petals are collectively
known as the corolla
 Gynoecium
• Female parts made up of
carpels (stigma and style)
• Stigma: sticky found at the
top of the carpel and
receives pollen
• Style: slender stalk that
connects the stigma to the
ovary
• Ovary: contains ovules
 Androecium
• Male part of the flower
• Made of stamens
• Further divided into an anther
and filaments
• Anther: pollen-producing
structure
• Filaments: stalk that supports the
male parts
Carpels form:
• stigma (receive pollen)
• styles (guide pollen tubes)
• ovary (protect ovules)
Stamens are specialised to release pollen
(microspores).

Pollen (microspores)

Anther
(4 microsporangia)
Stamen
Filament
Pollination = the process by which
pollen is transferred from the anther
(male part) of a flower to the stigma
(female part) of the flower, thereby
enabling fertilisation and reproduction.

Fertilisation = the union of male (sperm

- n) and female (egg - n) gametes to
produce a zygote (2n).
• Following pollination (after the pollen grain
lands on a stigma), the pollen grain extends a
pollen tube into the style of the flower to reach
the ovary.
• Tube penetrates the micropyle and discharges
two sperm cells (n) into the embryo sac.
• One sperm fuses with the egg (n) and forms a
diploid zygote (2n).
• Other sperm (n) fuses with two nuclei (n+n) in
the embryo sac to form the triploid endosperm
(3n).
 Pollen
(microgametophyte)
Pollen tube
nucleus

Sperm
cells
Polar nuclei
Integument
DOUBLE FERTILIZATION:
One sperm cell will fertilize
the egg = zygote (2n)
One sperm cell will fertilize
the central cell = endosperm
(3n)
Angiosperm
Ovule
• What happens after double fertilisation?
Seed development is triggered. The rich
(3n) endosperm nourishes developing
embryo.

• Double fertilisation is unique to

angiosperms (BUT – in some gnetophytes
this happens –second egg cell is fertilized
and develops into an embryo).
 Fruits
• Seeds develops from ovules
• Ovary matures into a fruit
• Fruits protects the seeds
• Aid in their dispersal
• Some plants have mechanisms that
disperse seeds
• Seeds within berries and other edible
fruits are often dispersed in animal feces
 Figure 30.UN05
Five Derived Traits of Seed Plants

Reduced Microscopic male and Male

gametophytes female gametophytes gametophyte
(n) are nourished and
protected by the Female
sporophyte (2n) gametophyte

Heterospory Microspore (gives rise to

a male gametophyte)

Megaspore (gives rise to

a female gametophyte)

Ovules Integument (2n)

Ovule
(gymnosperm) Megaspore (n)

Megasporangium (2n)

Pollen Pollen grains make water

unnecessary for fertilization

Seeds Seeds: survive Seed coat

better than
unprotected
Food supply
spores, can be
transported Embryo
long distances
Evolutionary development of land plants
 Asteraceae
Probably largest plant family,
c 30000 species
 Orchidaceae
2nd largest family in the world, c 25000 species
very diverse in South Africa (grassland and fynbos)
 Poaceae
Grass family, c 10000 species
Economically important
 Key
1) Anthers contain microsporangia 2) Pollen grain
Haploid (n) that produce microspores (pollen develops into male
Diploid (2n)
grains) gametophyte
Microsporangium
Anther
Mature flower on
Sporophyte plant
MEIOSIS Microspore (n)
(2n)

Ovary

Male gametophyte
3) Ovules contain Ovule with
(in pollen grain)
megasporangia that megasporangium (2n) MEIOSIS

produce megaspores
Megasporangium (n)

4) Each megaspore forms Megaspore (n)

female gametophyte

Polar nuclei
Female gametophyte
Egg (n)
 Key
Haploid (n)
Diploid (2n)

MEIOSIS 5) Pollination:
Pollen disperses
to stigmas

Ovary Pollen grains

MEIOSIS
Stigma
6) Pollen tube
Sperm
grows into style
Pollen
tube Style

Ovary

Sperm
(n)
8) Pollen tube Egg nucleus (n)
discharges 2 7) Pollen tube enters
sperm cells ovule through micropyle
Discharged sperm nuclei (n)
 Key
Haploid (n)
Diploid (2n)

Mature flower on
sporophyte plant MEIOSIS
(2n)

Ovary

Germinating
seed MEIOSIS

10) 2nd sperm cell fuses

with 2 nuclei of the Embryo (2n)
embryo sac to produce Endosperm
(food supply) (3n)
triploid (3n) Seed
Seed coat (2n)
endosperm

Nucleus of developing
endosperm (3n)

Zygote (2n) FERTILIZATION

9) 1st sperm cell fuses with the

egg to produce a zygote (2n)
 Key
Haploid
Diploid

Meiosis

12) After seed dispersal,

seed germinates and
embryo resumes growth
Seedling
Meiosis

11) Fertilized ovule Embryo

develops into seed with
triploid endosperm
nourishing diploid embryo

Fertilization
 Bryophytes
Sporophyte dependent;
Gametophyte dominant &
independent
 Seedless vascular
Bryophytes plants
Sporophyte dependent; Sporophyte dominant,
Gametophyte dominant & only initially dependent;
independent Gametophyte independent
 Seedless vascular
Bryophytes plants
Sporophyte dependent Sporophyte dominant,
Gametophyte dominant & only initially dependent;
independent; Gametophyte independent

Seed plants
Sporophyte dominant &
independent;
Gametophyte microscopic
& dependent

Gametophytes develop
from spores retained
within sporangia of the
parental sporophyte
 Seedless vascular
Bryophytes plants
Sporophyte dependent Sporophyte dominant,
Gametophyte dominant & only initially dependent;
independent; Gametophyte independent

Seed plants Gymnosperms

Sporophyte dominant & Gametophytes develop
independent; inside cones
Gametophyte microscopic
& dependent
Angiosperms
Gametophytes develop
Gametophytes develop inside flowers
from spores retained
within sporangia of the
parental sporophyte
 zygote

SP
GA ORO
ME PH
TO YTE
PH
YT (2n)
E(
n)

GREEN ALGA BRYOPHYTE FERN GYMNOSPERM ANGIOSPERM

• Angiosperms have historically been divided into
monocotyledons (monocots) and
dicotyledons (dicots/eudicots) according to the
number of cotyledons in the seed embryos.
Amborella water lilies star anise magnoliids monocots eudicots

Magnoliids, monocots, and eudicots

evolved from basal dicots!

Eudicots comprise c. ¾ of
all living angiosperms

basal groups
• Human welfare depends greatly on monocot and
eudicot seed plants
• 3 monocots- wheat, rice, maize (corn)
• 3 eudicots- potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava (manioc)
– yield 80% of all the calories consumed by humans
 Key
Haploid
Diploid Microsporangium
Practice questions:
Microspore

-How do angiosperm Meiosis

Pollen
and gymnosperm
seeds differ? Sporophyte

Seedling
-Describe the four
Meiosis
whorls of a flower Megasporangium
Gametophytes
from outside to
inside Megaspore
Embryo

-Discuss the Embryo sac

changes in species
richness of various Egg
groups of land plants Zygote

through time, leading

2 sperm
to current species
numbers Fertilization

Endosperm
• Test 2 Next week Wednesday (20
September)
• 45 marks
• Coverage: Week 5 (insects) to Week 8
(protists and plants)
• MCQ and Short Answer Questions