Part I: Seed Dissection

Every seed contains a tiny baby plant called an embryo. It has a root (radicle)on one end and on
the other end a set of true leaves. The seed protects and nourishes the embryo until it is a
seedling.

The hypocotyl bends to push the epicotyl and true leaves into the soil. The endosperm
surrounds the embryo is packaged in a leaf-like structure called the cotyledon. Some seeds
have 1 (monocots-corn, rice, wheat, grasses, lily family, a few others) and some seeds have 2
(dicots-all other plants). Endosperm contains protein, sugar, starch and fat which becomes
available as the embryo secretes enzymes that break down the endosperm.
Around the endosperm is the seed coat which protects it from damage and dehydration.
Plant seed morphology has evolved so that they function best in their environment.

Purpose: Investigate the structure of a seed and draw inferences about how seeds may have to
be planted and grown for successful germination and germination.

Materials: Magnifying glass, phone with camera, sharp scalpel/utility/kitchen knife, 2-3 seeds
(nuts, corn, peas, beans, grass seeds), ruler, tweezers, water for soaking hard seeds/beans

Procedure:
1. Dissect the seed longitudinally (along the long axis) and split it in half so you can see the
inside, like the diagram above
2. Record observations of the size, shape, color and other characteristics of the seeds and
seed structure in a data table

Data Table:
Observations:
Seed size shape color other

Cashew 3cm in length Crescent shaped The outside Embryo was

1.5 cm in width of the nut recognizable
About 170 was tan, the and sat in
degrees of inside was a between the
curvature much light seams at the
shade and end of the
almost white nut.Inside of
nut has
hollowness
connecting to
the embryo

Pistachio 2cm in length, 1 Weird deformed The outside The embryo

cm in width. ball shaped was a nice was
forest green recognizable,
while the sitting
inside of the between the
seed was a seams of the
much lighter nut. The
shade, similar pistachio
to that of the embryo
inside of the resembled
cashew the cashew
embryo in
color and
shape.

Pictures of dissected seeds:

Data Analysis/Conclusion: Summarize similarities and differences of seeds you dissected.
Suggest evolutionary reasons why a plant might produce seeds that exhibit their specific
characteristics. Discuss how the seeds’ structures may impact how it is planted and grown for
successful germination and survival. Were your seeds monocytes or dicots? How could you tell?
DIscuss the advantages /disadvantages of larger vs smaller seeds; more vs less endosperm;
thick vs thin seed coat.
Go online and find 4 different ways seeds are distributed in nature. Describe them and cite the
websites you used.

Conclusion​: Noticing how similar the embryo’s position is in both the pistachio and the cashew
suggests that plants evolved to have their embryo’s sit inside the seam and very close to the
end of the nut. The advantage of this trait could be that it is easier for the embryo to begin
growing and sprout through the seed. Both seeds have hollow pockets in their center
connecting to the embryo. Most likely to allow for early growth of the embryo. The seeds are
different in color and shape. The difference in pigment may just simply be genetic mutation over
time. Size however, may be a result of needed protection for the embryo due to differences in
environment during growth. These seeds are built to be planted close to the surface underneath
soil, the shell surrounding the embryo is hard yet small showing a built in toughness yet need for
quickness in growing. Both seeds are dicots, which is concluded to be because there are two
cotyledons. Seeds come in a variety of sizes, amount of endosperm, and thickness of seed
coat. The advantages of having a large seed is having a large seedling, large seedlings are
generally stronger against the environment and more likely to survive. However, large seeds
require a lot more energy to grow from. The amount of endosperm in a seed varies as well,
more endosperm would correlate directly with a greater absorption of nutrients for an embryo. It
is possible that a seed could benefit from having less endosperm, possibly to avoid too rapid of
a growth cycle in order to avoid competition with previous generations of a species in a
particular area. Finally, seeds can vary in thickness of seed coat. Thickness in coats will vary
depending on the environment a seed has evolved to grow in. Thicker shelled seeds are more
likely to grow in colder or harsher climates in order to stay protected and grow. Thinner shelled
seeds are more likely to have evolved in warmer or more temperate climates to allow for more
absorption of nutrients and a more efficient growth for the embryo.
Seeds can be dispersed in several ways including: gravity, wind, ballistic, and by
animals. Wikipedia, a great source of information created by credible people, explains briefly:
seeds dispersed by gravity occur when fruits fall from trees and roll away. Those fruits can then
be picked up by water or animals to increase their distance from the parent tree. Wind dispersal
occurs when seeds use structures evolved over time to glide away from a parent plant. Ballistic
dispersion occurs when seeds are forcefully ejected. The force is generally caused by pressure
built up by tensions within the fruit. Animals disperse seeds in many different ways. Animals can
eat a fruit and carry a seed during digestion and later excrete it with personal nutrients. Animals
can also rub against pollens and carry them to other plants.

Part II: Flower Morphology/Dissection

The function of flowers is to produce the next generation of seeds. Most flowers contain male
and female parts (complete flowers). The male portion is the stamen which produce pollen
grains that house the sperm nuclei. The female portion is the pistil, which produce one or more
ovules that hold the egg cells. When fertilized, the ovules develop into the seeds. Surrounding
the reproductive structures are the petals and sepals, which protect the developing seeds and
attract pollinators.
Pollination occurs when pollen is transferred from a stamen to a pistil, SOme flowers self
pollinate, some cross pollinate, by wind, insects and other animals. Selective breeding occurs
when scientists control which plants’ pollen reaches and fertilizes selected plants.

Purpose: What is the variation that can be seen in the structure of different flowers? What
inferences can be made about how different flowers are pollinated based on their morphology?

Materials: Magnifying glass, phone with camera, sharp scalpel/utility/kitchen knife, small
scissors, flowers (2-3 different ones)
Procedure:
1. Identify the sepals (outside the petals)
2. Take a picture of your flowers
3. Make a data table to record observations for each flower:
Number of sepals and color; number of petals and color; number of stamen and color; number
of pistils and color; position of ovaries relative to petals; any other characteristics
4. Take a picture of your dissected flowers and insert here
5. Make a second data table: Propose a hypothesis for the type of pollination for each
flower. Use the internet to research examples of plants pollinated by the wind,
insects,animals, or self-pollination. Research the actual mode of pollination for your
flowers.
Data Analysis/Conclusion: Upload pictures of your flowers before and after dissection.
Summarize the characteristics of your flowers and the mode of pollination. Discuss how easy it
might be for scientists to control pollination and breeding outcomes in reproducing the studied
flowers.

Flower # of # of Number of Number of Position of other

sepals/colo petals/colo stamen/col pistils/color ovaries
r r or

Big and 5, green 39, light 69 green, 24, green Base of

pink pink burgundy the pistil.
Much
deeper
within the
plant
structure.

Small and 4, green 4, yellow 6, green 1, green Base of

yellow pistil

Conclusion/Summary/Hypothesis​:
I believe both of these flowers pollinate using animals or insects specifically. I don't believe that
any birds or humming birds would be interested in the flowers due to their small pistil size. I
believe that bees are the main pollinators or these flowers.
I am led to believe it would be very routine for scientists to attempt to control pollination or
breeding outcomes due to the simpleness of these flowers when compared to more complex
plant species. I believe these flowers were made as decorations and can be bred very easily.
The flowers have a large number of stamen compared to their pistils which causes me to think
the transportation of pollen to another flower is highly likely. I also believe the flowers pollinate
almost strictly by use of bees. If scientists wanted to control pollination of these flowers, they
would simply isolate a population and release a population of bees into the habitat.