Read the Seed, Embryo and Fruit Map
Seed and fruit questions test which tissues contribute, how the embryo is protected and where food is stored.
Living-system questions are solved by matching a structure or organism to its function, process and stated condition.
Classify fruit formation
A true fruit develops from the ovary after fertilisation; accessory tissue contributes to false fruits such as apple and cashew. Banana can form parthenocarpically. Strawberry is an aggregate fruit of achenes. Seeds cannot outnumber ovules.
Compare seed types
Castor is an albuminous dicot; maize is an albuminous monocot with a scutellum. The aleurone layer supports germination by releasing enzymes. Grass embryos also have an epiblast (rudimentary second cotyledon) and a coleorrhiza that protects the radicle.
Read the seed figures
In the dicot/monocot figure, the labelled tissues include endosperm, cotyledon, radicle/root tip and seed coat. In maize, pericarp and seed coat are fused; the aleurone is the outer endosperm layer.
OlympIQ exam lens
- ✓True fruit: ovary; false fruit: accessory parts also contribute.
- ✓Castor and maize are albuminous; scutellum is grass cotyledon.
- ✓Coleorrhiza protects radicle; epiblast is a rudimentary second cotyledon.
- ✓A fruit cannot have more seeds than ovules.
Do not call every seed nutritive tissue an endosperm; nucellus and cotyledons can also store or supply food.
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