Read the Flowering-Plant Reproduction Map
Flowering-plant reproduction joins gametophyte development, pollination, fertilisation and seed/fruit formation.
Living-system questions are solved by matching a structure or organism to its function, process and stated condition.
Follow the generations
Diploid sporophytes produce spores by meiosis; haploid gametophytes produce gametes by mitosis. In angiosperms pollination and fertilisation do not require external water.
Connect examples to structures
Remember unusual examples: Striga is parasitic and produces many tiny seeds; Asteraceae may show apomixis; Phoenix dactylifera seeds can remain viable for long periods; Amorphophallus offers pollinators an oviposition site. Water hyacinth is Terror of Bengal; Neelakurinji is Strobilanthus kunthiana.
Recognise reproductive groups
Reptiles have calcareous shells; apes are primates and dogs are non-primate mammals. Cladophora has isogametes, Fucus heterogametes. The pictured structures include a water-hyacinth offset, Marchantia archegoniophore, embryo-sac antipodals and charophyte oogonium.
OlympIQ exam lens
- ✓Gametophyte makes gametes by mitosis.
- ✓Angiosperm fertilisation is independent of external water.
- ✓Match named examples to their reproductive features.
Do not confuse spore formation by meiosis with gamete formation by mitosis in the gametophyte.
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Practise 6 linked questions