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PLANTS IN ECOLOGY
Lesson 2 - Page 1

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Plants are constructed in thousands of different ways, far too many to consider within these few labs. For our study in plant reproduction we will look at the different modes of reproduction that plants may have.

There is asexual and sexual reproduction modes for most groups of plants. Asexual modes can include from simple binary fission to grafting. Sexual reproduction can include bulbs, seeds, flowers, and spores.

Go over with students the reproductive modes. You may want to emphasize that ferns, algae, and moss use spore development and in some cases binary fission. Angiosperms and gymnosperms use mainly sexual reproduction but can also include grafting as a mechanism.

Flowers in angiosperms are the reproductive organs. They exist solely for the purpose of producing seeds which will in turn produce new plants.

Seeds usually will not form unless the egg cells of a flower are fertilized. Fertilization means that a male cell joins a female egg. The male cells of a flower are the pollen manufactured by its stamens. The female cells are contained in another part called the pistil.

An essential step in the production of seeds is the bringing together of pollen cells and egg cells called pollination. This may be accomplished in a number of ways, most often with the help of insects or wind. Whatever the pollination method, every part of every flower has a shape and position necessary for that method.

MATERIALS: microscopes (transmitted and reflecting); pine cone, pollen from pine (or any other gymnosperm), angiosperms (any blooming flower is fine); fern with spores

PROCEDURE: Have the students follow the lab sheets. They will be dissecting the female and male portions of plants.

PLANT REPRODUCTION

 

PROBLEM: How do the sexual cells of different types of plants differ?

HYPOTHESIS: ____________________________________________________

PROCEDURE:

MATERIALS: microscopes (transmitted and reflecting); pine cone, pollen from pine (or any other gymnosperm), angiosperms (any blooming flower is fine); fern with spores

Look under the microscope (appropriate kind) at the above materials. Record what you see. In your conclusion, compare and contrast the different types of sex cells.

Type

drawing

comments

 

 

 

 

 

gymnosperms

   

 

 

 

 

 

angiosperms

   

 

 

 

 

 

ferns

   

CONCLUSIONS:

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

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