Have you ever wondered how plants produce many seeds when they bear fruits? Many plant lovers find it very mysterious while others may know how the process works.
However, if you are one of those people who are fascinated with plants and how they produce many seeds as a whole, continue reading.
So, in this post, we are going to look at the process of how plants produce many seeds when they bear fruits. What is pollination and how does it work, and other related topics?
What is Pollination And How does it Work?
Pollination is the process of transferring pollen from a male part of a flower to the female part of a flower.
This is done by many different types of pollinators. Pollinators are animals that carry pollen from one plant to another.
They do this by picking up the pollen on their body and then depositing it on another plant’s stigma (female reproductive organ).
Pollinators can be insects, birds, bats, or even some mammals. Some pollinators, such as butterflies and moths, are attracted to color.
Partner species in a community can influence each other’s reproductive success directly, through competition or parasitism
How Do Plants Produce More Seeds?
Over the years, scientists have found that plants produce more seeds when they are exposed to cold temperatures.
This is because plants need to change their physiology to survive and this includes producing more seeds.
Some plants release a lot of seeds to survive, such as the common dandelion.
Why Does Plant Produce So Many Seeds?
Some plants produce a lot of seeds to reproduce themselves.
They rely on the wind, water, or animals to distribute their seeds.
This type of reproduction is called asexual reproduction. , because they do not create offspring.
Plant reproduction is a key factor in the global food chain.
There are two methods of plant reproduction. The first is through seeds and the second is through spores.
To produce a seed, a plant needs to be sexually active which means it has both male and female parts.
Most plant life on Earth has both male and female parts but some do not. and in these cases, they cannot produce seeds.
The process of reproduction that a plant goes through is called pollination. In general, the male parts of a flower are called an anther, and the female part is called a stigma.
When these two parts meet, one releases pollen grains which travel to the stigma for fertilization.
In some cases, pollination can occur without physical contact between the two parts of a flower because bees and wind carry pollen from one plant to another.
Seed Dispersal
Seed dispersal is a process by which animals and humans move seeds from the parent plant to new locations, often very distant from the parent plant.
How Seed dispersal is achieved:
– Animals and humans carry the seed with them.
– Seeds are broadcast by animals or people.
– Seeds fall from tree branches.
– Water and wind carry the seeds for long distances (seed broadcasting).
The Nature Of Seeds
Plants produce seeds to reproduce and propagate themselves.
Seeds are mainly used for reproduction purposes. The fruit is the seed’s protective coating and the fruit contains the seed.
Also, seeds are reproductive organs of plants, which can be either ovules or pollen grains in angiosperms and spores of non-flowering plants.
When a plant is pollinated, there may be more than one fertilized ovule produced on a single flower (for example watermelon).
The ovules are fertilized by the pollen grains from the ovary of the flower where they were created.
This happens in one of two ways: self-pollination or cross-pollination.
Self-pollination is when pollen from one flower fertilizes an ovule from the same flower. Cross-pollination is when pollen from one flower fertilizes an ovule from a different flower.
The number of pollen grains on the stigma (the female organ) and style (the male organ) is called Anther.
A plant’s anther generally consists of 50-250 ‘Strobili’ each strobilus contains 4 microspores.
The number of microspores in each strobilus is called its Antherophore.
Pollen grains are produced by the anthers of flowers when the female organ (stigma) releases large amounts of nectar to attract pollen-producing male organs (style) that release sperms into the nectar.
As a result, the pollen grains are in contact with the nectar and, in a sense, ‘imbibe’ it. The grains then germinate after being covered by female organs.
This is how plants and trees produce many seeds. So, we hope this post helped you in some way.