Chapter 5

Basic Definitions
Pollination:
The transfer of pollen grains from
a stamen to a carpel is called
pollination.
Fertilization:
Fertilization is the joining of male
and female reproductive cells.
Extinction:
The permanent elimination of an
organism or a group of organisms
is called extinction.
Self-pollination:
The transfer of pollen from a
stamen to a stigma of the same
flower is called self-pollination.
Cross-pollination:
The transfer of pollen from a
stamen to a stigma of a flower on
a different plant of
the same specie is called cross-
pollination.
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Questions And Answers
Q2. Working from the outside in,
list the parts of a flower. Make a
sketch of each of the parts and
say what its job or function is.
1-Sepals:
Sepal protect the flower in the
bud.
2-Petals:
Petals attract insects for
pollination.
3-Stamen:
Stamen contain pollen grains for
pollination.
4-Stigma:
Stigma is sticky and it attaches
pollen grains for pollination.
5-Style:
Style attaches stigma with ovary.
6-Ovary:
Ovary contain ovule or egg cell for
fertilization.
7-Ovule:
Ovule develops into seed after
fertilization.
*****
Q3. Insect pollinated flowers
produce fewer and larger pollen
grains than wind pollinated
flowers. Explain why this is so.
Ans- This is because insects are
much more efficient pollinators
than wind and they will carry
pollen grains from one plant to
another without any failure.
*****
Q4. If you were growing plants
such as cucumber or melon plants
in a greenhouse
where insects couldn't enter, how
would you make sure that all the
flowers were pollinated?
Ans- By gently shaking plants or
tapping their flowers, we can make
sure that all the flowers get
pollinated.
*****
Q5. What is the difference
between pollination and
fertilization in plants?
Ans:
Pollination:
1- Pollination is the transfer of
pollen grains from a stamen to the
stigma.
2- Pollination occurs before
fertilization.
3- After pollination, no new
substance is formed.
Fertilization:
1- Fertilization is the joining of
male and
female reproductive cells.
2- Fertilization occurs after
pollination.
3- After fertilization, a new
substance called zygote is formed.
*****
Q6. How does the Nucleus in a
pollen grain get from the stigma to
the ovary of a flower?
Ans- When a pollen grain land on
a stigma it gets attach to it. A
pollen tube then arise from the
pollen grain and grows down
towards the ovary. The nucleus in
pollen grain move down in this
pollen tube toward the ovary.
*****
Q7. Think about the meaning of
these words: fruits, seeds,
germinate, cotyledons, embryo,
plumule, dormancy,
root hairs. Write a sentence
containing each of these words.
Ans:
1-Fruit:
A fruit is formed from an ovary
after fertilization.
2-Seed:
A seed develop from a fertilized
ovule.
3-Germinate:
When a seed start to grow, it is
said to be germinated.
4-Cotyledon:
A seed leaf inside a seed is known
as cotyledon. It has stored food for
the developing seedling.
5-Embryo:
The tiny plant inside the seed is
called an embryo.
6-Plumule:
The first shoot or stem which grow
from a seed as it start to grow is
called as Plumule.
7-Dormancy:
It is the resting or sleeping stage
of a seed.
8-Root Hairs:
It is a single celled structure found
near the tip of a root which absorb
water and minerals from the soil.
*****
Q8. List four ways in which plants
disperse or scatter their seeds?
Ans- Plants disperse or scatter
their seeds in the following four
ways
1-Dispersal by wind.
2-Dispersal by fruit.
3-Dispersal by water.
4-Dispersal by animals.
*****
Q9. Why do you think that seeds
formed in the autumn do not grow
until the following spring? And why
will seeds formed in dry weather
not start to grow until there is rain?
Ans: Autumn is a very dry season
and there is no sufficient water for
the germination of seed, so these
seeds grow in spring when the
conditions are favourable.
*Seeds formed in dry weather do
not grow due to the deficiency of
water, so they wait until their is
rain.
*****
Q10. Which parts of a tomato
flowers
1- grow to form a fruit.
2-fall off after fertilization.
3-remain joined to the fruit?
Ans:
1- Ovary of a tomato flower grows
to form fruit.
2- Petals, stigma and style fall off
after fertilization.
3- Sepals remain joined to the
fruit.
*****
Q11. Gardeners sometime cut a
large potato tuber in half before
they plant it in order to obtain
more plants. Where should they
make the cut?
Ans- In order to obtain more
potato plants from a potato tuber,
the gardener should cut that part
which contain the eye/bud.
*****
Q12. What are the advantages of
vegetative reproduction in plants?
What are the disadvantages?
Ans:
Advantages of vegetative
reproduction:
1- Vegetative reproduction
preserve the useful characters in
plants.
2- This method of reproduction is
quick so flowers and fruits can be
produced early.
Disadvantages of vegetative
reproduction:
1- New plants arise near the
parent plants so there may be
competition between the baby
plants for food and as a result
some baby plants will become
weaker.
2- Due to the lack of genetic
variability, there may not be the
evolution of new species.