Title: The Life Cycle Of A Plant: How Plants Reproduce – All Major Plant Groups
Headings: The Life Cycle Of A Plant: How Plants Reproduce
The Life Cycle Of A Plant: How Plants Reproduce
The Life Cycle Of A Plant: How Plants Reproduce
Page Index
Other Botany Pages on Active Wild
Basic Plant Life Cycle
Alternation of Generations
One Generation Reduced In Size
Self-Fertilization
The Life Cycle Of A Flowering Plant (Angiosperm)
Male Parts Of A Flower
Female Parts Of A Flower
Pollination
The Life Cycle Of A Gymnosperm
The Life Cycle Of Pteridophytes (Seedless Vascular Plants)
The Life Cycle Of Bryophytes (Non-Vascular Seedless Plants)
Life Cycle Of Moss
The Life Cycle Of A Plant: Conclusion
Main Points:

Content: In these plant groups, the male gametophyte is carried by pollen and develops within the stigma of a sporophyte, while the female gametophyte develops within the ovule (the egg-producing organ) of a sporophyte. The angiosperm and gymnosperm plants that we see around us are in their sporophyte phase. In bryophytes such as moss, the gametophyte stage is phase is the dominant phase. Self-Fertilization
Many species of plants produce individuals with both male and female parts. This can result in self-fertilization, which occurs when a plant’s sperm fertilizes its own eggs. Self-fertilization has several advantages, not least because it can be accomplished without the need for a mate, allowing for faster and more reliable reproduction. The disadvantage of self-fertilization is that it results in limited genetic diversity. A species that is over-reliant on self-fertilization is less able to adapt to changes in its environment and is therefore more at risk of extinction. For this reason, many plant species have evolved means of reducing the likelihood of self-fertilization. These may include: