What is the reproductive structure of plants in the conifer family?
Except for larch (Larix), conifers are trees and shrubs with evergreen needle-like or scale-like leaves whose male (pollen) and female (seeds) reproductive structures are arranged cones. These cones are composed of a series of bracts, which bear sacs that produce pollen or ovules that form seeds after fertilization.
Where are the reproductive structures of conifers located?
cones
Conifers have their reproductive structures in cones, but they are not the only plants to have that trait (Figure below). Conifer pollen cones are usually very small, while the seed cones are larger. Pollen contains gametophytes that produce the male gamete of seed plants.
What are the male and female reproductive organs in a conifer tree?
There are two types of cones on most Pacific NW conifers: seed cones and pollen cones. These are female and male reproductive organs, respectively. Pollen (from the pollen cones / male cones) has to reach the ovules (in the seed cones / female cones) in order to fertilize them, creating seeds.
How are conifers pollinated?
All conifers are pollinated by wind. Pollen may be produced in enormous quantities, particularly by species of true pine (Pinus), which can blanket the surface of nearby lakes and ponds with a yellow scum of pollen (the pollen can cause allergies in humans).
How do conifers reproduce and distribute their seeds?
Most important, coniferous plants reproduce by growing seeds inside of cones. These cones ripen over the course of weeks, and the seeds are then dispersed either by being dropped, eaten or carried away by forest wildlife.
How do flowering plants reproduce?
Pollen is carried by insects or blown by the wind from one flower to another. This process is called pollination. Pollen reaches the new flower and travels to the ovary where it fertilises egg cells (ovules) to make seeds. Some of the seeds will grow into new plants.
What is the male reproductive structure in conifers?
Male reproductive structures: Anthers are borne in pairs on the underside of scales forming male cones. The pollen grains usually have air bladders mainly involved with orientation at the micropyle for fertilization. All are wind-pollinated and pollen is produced in enormous quantities.
What is the life cycle of a conifer?
Pine trees are conifers (cone bearing) and carry both male and female sporophylls on the same mature sporophyte. Therefore, they are monoecious plants. Like all gymnosperms, pines are heterosporous, generating two different types of spores: male microspores and female megaspores.
What does the male cone of conifers reproduce?
Male cones give rise to microspores, which produce pollen grains, while female cones give rise to megaspores, which produce ovules.