Blog post #7 SOTS MAYA LEWIS

Fertilization in flowering plants happens through a process called pollination. Pollination occurs when pollen grains from the anther land on a stigma. After pollen grains land on the stigma, a pollen tube grows from the pollen grain, through the style, and into the ovary. Sperm cells inside the pollen grain travel down the pollen tube and into the ovary which contains the ovules. Fertilization occurs when one of the sperm cells fuses with the egg inside of an ovule. After fertilization occurs, each ovule develops into a seed. Each seed contains a tiny, undeveloped plant called an embryo. The ovary surrounding the ovules develops into a fruit that contains one or more seeds.

The male reproductive part of a flower is called the stamen. It is composed of a long tube, called a filament, and has a pollen-producing structure on the end. This oval-shaped structure is called the anther. It is crucial in the reproduction of flowering plants, as it produces the male gametophyte, known as pollen.

This is the female reproductive structure of a flower is known as a carpel. The three main parts of the carpel are the ovary, stigma, and a style. The carpel's job is to create the egg and protect the embryo. The stigma is also where the pollination occurs.

 In some species of flowering plant, the male and female parts are located in separate flowers (some flowers are male, some are female), and yet another situation is when the male and female flowers are on entirely separate individuals (some plants are male, some are female). 

This is the petal of the flower. It's bright color attracts pollinators like bees and other insects. 

Abel Spackman Blogpost Assignment #7: Anthers and Stigma and Styles, Oh My!

Fertilization:
       In most flowering plant, fertilization can be a complicated and intricate process including many key factors. The first step before fertilization can even occur is pollination, but even before that, meiosis must take place in the anthers. Four haploid spore cells are created from this process. These will eventually become pollen grains. After that, pollination occurs when pollen grains from the anther land on a stigma. This can happen when bees, birds, and other animals go from one flower to the next picking up pollen as they go without even noticing. Other ways of transportation include weather events, wind, and other similar predicament. After the pollen grains land on the stigma, a pollen tube grows (from the pollen grain) through the style and into the ovary. Sperm cells inside the pollen grain begin to travel downward through the pollen tube into the ovary. The ovary contains the ovules. Finally, when one of the sperm cells fuses with the egg inside of an ovule, fertilization occurs. After fertilization has occurred, each ovule turns into a seed. Each seed will contain an embryo (a tiny undeveloped plant) and will very possibly grow someday into a beautiful flower.

Pictures:


This is a picture of a petal of the flower. Petals help protect some parts of the flower and at the same time their color attracts bees and other small animals to help with the process of pollination.

This is a picture of the anthers. The anthers are located on the end of the stamen. Their role is to create the male gametophyte know as pollen.


This is the female reproductive structure of a flower is known as a carpel. The three main parts of the carpel are the ovary, stigma, and a style. It’s job is to create the egg and protect the embryo. The stigma is also where the pollination occurs.

This photo shows the ovules which are located within the ovary. When fertilized, the ovules will turn into seeds. The seed will contain the embryo, the endosperm, and a seed coat.

Blogpost #7 - Sam Albert

Dissecting Microscopes

Our Brassica oleracea plants are angiosperms, or plants that flower and produce seeds. The first 

step in fertilization is pollination, where pollen, moved by air or water, lands on the pistil of the flowers.

Soon after, the pollen grain grows a tube-like structure toward the egg cells in the ovary. The pollen then makes an opening in the ovules (a micropyle). The last step involved is the fertilization itself, where most angiosperms like our Brassica oleracea undergo double fertilization. In double fertilization, 

not only the zygote is made, but two polar nuclei are also made, which later goes on to make the 

endosperm, the food storage for the growing embryo. A seed starts to develop once the fertilization 

stage is over.

This first picture shows the female reproductive structure (carpel) of one of the Brassica oleracea flowers. The little green, pea-like structures are ovules, contained in ovary. The other structures shown are the stigma and style. The ovules can be viewed like this by cutting the ovary open with a fingernail. 

    In this image, the filaments and ovary can be seen. The filaments are part of the male reproductive structure in the angiosperm flowers. The sepals are mostly torn off to better show the other parts. Filaments are for holding up the anthers (the top part of the stamen).

This picture shows the stigma and the anthers. They're the main parts of the stamen and pistil, the male and female reproductive structures. The stigma takes in the pollen during fertilization, while the anthers control the pollen grains, containing the sperm cells.

This last image depicts the entirety of the flower we dissected. It falls under the category of a perfect flower, or one that has both male and female reproductive systems. This one has petals, a pistil, and anthers.