What Is the Structure & Function of a Seed Flower?
When a plant flowers, followed by pollination, seeds form. This is actually a plant embryo, surrounded by food and covered with a protective coating. Once released this seed contributes to the spread of the flowering plant and becomes the next generation when it begins to grow. In the plant kingdom seed plants lead less evolved plants in terms of dominance and environmental diversity. Does this Spark an idea?
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Structural Basics of Seeds
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The success of flowering plants has much to do with the seed structure itself. In the center of the seed you'll find the embryo. This is what will become a new plant if provided with the right environment. Nutrients reside around the embryo. Seeds consume this nourishment, consisting of mainly protein and oil, to start the germination process. Finally the outer layer coats and protects the seed so it doesn't dry or get damaged before starting to root.
Seed Production
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Without seed production, the seed-producing, flowering plant would eventually become extinct. Seeds are vital to producing new plants. First, however, the flower must be successfully pollinated.
Pollen tubes contain the necessary requirements for reproduction. When they penetrate the style of the flower, it allows pollen to reach the embryo. Here the male gametes carried in the pollen merge with the egg and begin developing into a seed.
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Does Seed Size Matter?
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Flower seeds come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Large seeds give the potential plant larger nutrient reserves. Smaller seeds offer greater potential germination prospects by sheer numbers. Annuals in particular produce a lot of tiny seeds, thereby improving survival odds.
Advantages of Flowering Plants That Produce Seeds
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The biggest advantage seed-producing flowering plants have over other types of plants is that they get colonization help from nature, moving the seeds away from the parent plant. Plants without seeds (like ferns) can't reproduce without water sources that carry gametes. Seeds, on the other hand, often survive dry conditions very well thanks to their protective shell and food source. Basically, flowering plants with seeds have a great design for survival.
These types of plants offer many environmental advantages too. They produce oxygen, support pollinators that, in turn, spur the reproduction of other plants, and provide a source of food for various creatures. In areas experiencing soil erosion, flowering plant roots help keep soil in place.
Wind & Water: Seed Dispersal
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For seeds to do their job, they need to be dispersed. Some seeds are light enough to get a free ride on spring on summer winds such as cottonwood, maple and dandelion. Water carries other seeds that have natural buoyancy. Animals and birds carry seeds in their fur or when they consume them, transporting them to a new place in their droppings. Once in a new location, it's just a matter of proper sun, water and drainage for the seed to begin the cycle all over again.
Overall Plant Structure
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Flowering plants, while rich in variety, have several common basic parts. These include the flower itself for reproductive purposes, stamens inside the corolla or petal formation acting as the male element, and the female element in the very center of the flower. Flowers house their ovary at the very base of the flower from where it extends the style for collecting pollen.
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References
- Photo Credit flowers image by pearlguy from Fotolia.com
