Plant Reproduction

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Plant Reproduction - New Insights

intechopen

Año: 2023; p. 1 - 20

Reproduction in plants is either asexual or sexual. Sexual reproduction in plants consists of the alternation of haploid and diploid generations, a process in which meiosis and fertilisation are the determining events. In angiosperms, flowers are the site of gametophyte development, with the embryo sac being the female gametophyte and the pollen being the male gametophyte. Within these multicellular gametophytes, the egg cell and the male gamete give rise to the diploid zygote by the fusion of their nuclei. This zygote will go through a series of stages until the formation of the seed embryo.In angiosperms, there is also the phenomenon of double fertilisation, giving rise to the endosperm, the nourishing tissue of the future seed. In asexual reproduction, offspring are produced without meiosis or fusion of gametes, and the plant multiplies through other vegetative parts and modified organs such as tubers, bulbs, rhizomes, etc. Apomixis is the formation of new individuals from the sexual organs of a plant, but without fertilisation being involved.