P5/6 science

Reproduction In Plants

Living things reproduce to ensure that there will be members of their own kind left on earth after they
die. In other words, living things reproduce to ensure continuity of their species.

Reproduction In Plants

Plants can reproduce in different ways.

Flowering plants bear flowers. They reproduce from seeds.
Some non-flowering plants reproduce from spores.
Plants can also reproduce from other plant parts.

Parts Of A Flower

The petals of a flower are usually brightly coloured. This attracts insects to come to it and help in the
pollination.
The flower is made up of many different parts. Its most basic parts are divided into male and female
parts.

stigma anther
male
female style parts
parts ovary filament
ovule

Parts of a flower Function

This is where the pollen grains enter as they travel downwards towards the
stigma
style.

The stalk which supports the stigma and holds it in a position which enables the
female style
pollen grains to enter the stigma.
parts
This is where the ovule is formed and once fertilization takes place, it will become
ovary
the fruit.

ovule It contains an egg cell. The ovule will eventually develop into a seed.

male anther The place where pollen sacs are found. Pollen sacs produce pollen grains.
parts filament It is the stalk which supports the anther.

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Reproduction In Plants

A pollen grain (produced in the anther) is the male sex cell required for reproduction to take place.

Pollination

Pollination is the process when pollen grains from the anther are transferred to the stigma of a flower of
the same species.
If the pollen grains come from the same flower as the stigma, it is known as self-pollination. This can
occur in flowers which have both male and female parts on the same flower.

path of pollen grain

anther
stigma

Self-pollination

If the pollen grains are transferred to the stigma of another flower, this is known as cross-pollination.

path of pollen grain

Cross-pollination

Most of the time, the process of pollination requires agents (organisms that assist in transferring the
pollen grains to the stigma). There are three ways in which pollination can take place.

1 Help Of Insects And Animals

Flowers can be pollinated by insects. The insects are attracted by the flower’s petals, scent and sweet
nectar. When the insect lands on the flower to feed on the nectar, the pollen sticks to its body. The pollen
is deposited into the stigma of another flower when the insect lands on it. Birds and even some mammals
such as bats can help in the pollination process in a similar way.

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Reproduction In Flowering Plants

1. Study the diagram shown below carefully.

B C
seed seedling adult plant

A D
E
fruit flower

Based on the diagram above, which statement is not necessarily true?

(1) At B, germination takes place when there is sufficient air, water and warmth.
(2) At C, the seedling is able to make its own food as it develops additional leaves.
(3) At D, the adult plant produces flowers to attract insects to help in pollination.
(4) At E, fertilization takes place when the male cell fuses with the female egg cell. ( )

2. Kean conducted an experiment to show how overcrowding affects the growth of rose plants.
He had some seeds belonging to the same rose plant and two identical pots of the same size. Which
other variables should he keep the same in order to conduct a fair experiment?
A. Number of seeds
B. Amount of soil
C. Amount of water
D. Location of pots
(1) A and B only
(2) B and C only
(3) A, B and C only
(4) B, C and D only ( )

3. Study the characteristics of a seed shown below.

It is light and has a feathery structure

attached to it which acts like a parachute.

Based on the above characteristics, how is the seed likely to be dispersed?

(1) by wind
(2) by water
(3) by animals
(4) by splitting ( )

4. Which of the following statements about reproduction in flowering plants is wrong?

(1) The male reproductive cell fuses with the egg cell found in the ovule.
(2) The pollen grains move down the style to reach the ovules.
(3) Fertilization takes place only after pollination.
(4) Pollen grains have a hard coat which protects the sperm cells. ( )

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Reproduction In Flowering Plants

5. The table below shows the dispersal of some seeds of flowering plants.

Many seeds One seed

Dispersed by Dispersed by Dispersed by Dispersed by

animals splitting action animals splitting action

E F G H

Which of the following statements is correct?

(1) Both plants E and F have many seeds and are dispersed by animals.
(2) Both plants F and H are dispersed by splitting action but Plant F has many seeds unlike Plant
H.
(3) Both plants E and G are dispersed by animals but Plant E has one seed unlike Plant G.
(4) Both plants G and H have one seed each and are dispersed by splitting action. ( )

Answers:  1. 3  2. 4  3. 1  4. 2  5. 2

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Reproduction In Plants

Pollen from the anthers sticks The pollen on the body of the
to the body of the bee when it bee sticks to the stigma of a
visits a flower to collect food. flower on the other plant.

pollen
grains
pollen

The bee then travels to another

plant of the same type.

Cross-pollination with the help of an insect

Flowers that are pollinated by insects and other animals usually have brightly coloured petals, fragrant
scents and produce nectar.

2 By Wind
Some flowers are pollinated by wind. The pollen grains are carried by wind to be deposited in the stigma
of another flower.
Flowers that are pollinated by wind have smaller, dull-coloured petals and are not fragrantly scented. An
example of such a plant is the grass.

3 By Water
Some water plants are pollinated by water. The water carries the pollen grains to the stigma of another
flower.

Fertilization

When the pollen grain lands on a stigma, it produces a tiny tube that grows down the style until it reaches
the ovule.
pollen grains
stigma
style
pollen tubes

ovary
egg cell
ovule

The tiny tube formed from the pollen grain travels down to the ovule.

The fusion of the pollen grain with the female egg cell in the ovule is known as fertilization.
After fertilization, the ovary swells and develops into a fruit. The petals will wither and drop off.

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Reproduction In Plants

The ovules in the ovary develop and become the seeds.

The seeds in the fruit will eventually develop into new plants.

Stage 2
petals wither and
ovules develop
into seeds
Stage 1
flower (after fertilization)
ovary begins
to swell

Stage 3
petals drop off

Stage 4
fruit grows bigger

To produce new plants from seeds, both the male and female cells are needed. Therefore, sexual
reproduction takes place in plants. In order for new plants to grow and develop well, the seeds have to
be scattered away from the parent plant.
If seeds are not scattered, they will grow very close to the parent plant. This will lead to overcrowding.
The new plants will not be able to grow well because they have to compete with one another for space,
air, sunlight, minerals and even water.

Let’s find out what the effects of plant overcrowding are.

Three similar flowerpots are used to conduct the experiment. The number of seeds planted in each
flowerpot is different.
For flowerpot A, one seed is placed in it. Flowerpot B has three seeds and flowerpot C has nine seedlings.
All three pots are watered daily.

Seedling Seedlings Overcrowding can

has a thick have thick cause seedlings
stem when stems when to grow tall and
there is no there is less thin because they
competition. competition. compete for space,
sunlight, water and
minerals.
Flowerpot A Flowerpot B Flowerpot C
Overcrowding results to seedlings that have thin stems.

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Reproduction In Flowering Plants

1. Benedict carries out an experiment to find out whether the length of the wingspan of the shorea fruit
affects the time it takes to land on the ground when it is released in front of an electric fan as shown
in the diagram below.
shorea fruit

electric fan

Which of the following factors must Benedict keep the same in order to ensure a fair test?
A. The distance between the electric fan and the shorea fruit
B. The length of the wingspan of the shorea fruit
C. The speed of the electric fan
(1) A only (3) A and C only
(2) B only (4) A, B and C ( )

2. The diagram below shows a cross-section of a flower.

Based on what you observe in the diagram, the flower shown is likely not pollinated by wind. What
is the most likely reason for this?
(1) The petals of the flower are huge.
(2) The style that joins the stigma to the ovary is short.
(3) All the reproductive organs are inside the flower.
(4) Both the male and female parts are almost of the same length. ( )

3. Which of the following is classified wrongly?

Form of dispersal Fruit
(1) wind dandelion
(2) water rubber
(3) splitting kapok
(4) animal mango ( )

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Reproduction In Flowering Plants

4. Study the list of plants shown below.

coconut
cassia
pong pong
rubber

Which of the following characteristics can be used to group the plants into two different groups?
A. Poisonous and non-poisonous plants
B. Land and water plants
C. Dispersal by water and dispersal by explosive action
D. Flowering and non-flowering plants
(1) A and B only
(2) A and C only
(3) A, B and C only
(4) A, B, C and D ( )

5. What is the function of Part A of the fruit shown below?

Part A

(1) To trap air so as to allow the fruit to float on the water

(2) To trap air so as to be dispersed by wind
(3) To attract the animals to eat it
(4) To hook onto the hair of the animals ( )

Answers:  1. 3  2. 3  3. 2  4. 2  5. 1

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