Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

Sexual Reproduction in
Flowering Plants –
CBSE Notes for Class
12 Biology
June 4, 2022 by Sastry CBSE
Sexual Reproduction in
Flowering Plants – CBSE
Notes for Class 12 Biology
NCERT
SolutionsMathsPhysicsChemistryBiologyScience
Sexual reproduction is the process of fusion of haploid

gametes, resulting in the production of a diploid zygote,
which ultimately develops into a new organism. All
flowering plants show sexual reproduction.
1. Flowers are the site of sexual reproduction in
flowering plants.
(i) A flower has following parts arranged in four whorls,
i.e. calyx (sepals), corolla (petals), androecium and
gynoecium. These are attached to central axis called
thalamus.
(iii) Flowers may contain both male (stamens) and
female (carpels or pistils) reproductive parts or organs
in it and is called bisexual.
(iii) In unisexual flowers, only either of the reproductive
parts are present, e.g. corn, the tassels represent the
male flowers (stamens) and the ears or silk represent
the female flower (styles and stigma).
2. Stamen is the male reproductive unit of angiosperm.

It consists of the following two parts:
(i) The long and slender stalk called the filament.
(ii) The terminal generally bilobed structure called the
anther.
3. Anther is a bilobed structure with each lobe having
two theca, therefore called dithecous. In a cross
section, it is a four sided (tetragonal) structure
consisting of four microsporangia, located at the
corners, two in each lobe. Microsporangia develop and
becomes pollen sacs. Pollen sacs contain pollen
grains.
Structure of microsporangium contains following
features in a transverse section:
(i) Appears nearly circular in outline.
(ii) It is surrounded by four wall layers. The outer three
layers are epidermis, endothecium and middle layers.
Outer three wall layers are protective in function and
help in dehiscence of anther to release the pollen. The
fourth and innermost layer called the tapetum
nourishes developing pollen grains. It contains cells
with dense cytoplasm and more than one nuclei.
(iii) A sporogenous tissue occupies the centre of each
microsporangium in a young anther.
(iv) Each cell of sporogenous tissue undergo meiosis to
form microspore tetrads. Each cell of the tetrad is
known as microspore mother cell.
4. Microsporogenesis The formation of microspores
from a pollen mother cell (each cell of sporogenous
tissue) through meiosis is called microsporogenesis.
(i) Microspores are arranged as tetrad. As the anther
mature and dehydrates they dissociate from each other
and develop into pollen grains. Pollen grains or the
male gametophytes are released by dehiscence of
anther.
(ii) Pollen grains have the following characteristic
features:
• Generally spherical, about 25-50 micrometers in
diameter.
• Mature pollen grain comprises of two layers.
(a) Outer hard layer Exine made up of one of the most
resistant organic material sporopollenin, that enables
them to resist high temperatures and action of strong
acids and alkali. Further no enzyme is yet known to
degrade sporopollenin, because of which they are well
preserved as fossils.
The region on exine where sporopollenin is absent are
called germ pores. It helps in the formation of pollen
tube, while the pollen grain germinates on stigma.
(b) Inner thin, continuous layer Intine made up of
cellulose and pectin.
• A mature pollen grain contains two cells.
(a) Vegetative cell or tube cell It is larger as compared
to other cell and possess vacuolated cytoplasm which
is rich in reserve food, i.e. starch, protein, fat and cell
organelles. The nucleus is large and irregular.
(b) Generative cell It is smaller cell usually spindle-
shaped or spherical with thin dense cytoplasm and
prominent nuclei. It divides mitotically to form two non-
motile male gametes, prior to release of pollen grain.
(iii) In about 60% of angiosperms, pollen grains are
shed at 2-celled stage.
(iv) In about 40% flowering plants, the generative cell
divides mitotically to give rise to the two male gametes
before pollen grains are shed at 3-celled stage.
(v) Pollen grains of many species (e.g. Parthenium)
causes severe allergic, chronic respiratory disorders
like asthma, bronchitis, etc.
(vi) Viability of pollen grains depends on temperature
and humidity.
(vii) Pollen grains are richer in nutrients and are used
as food supplements in form of pollen tablets and
syrups. Its consumption has been claimed to increase
the performance of athletes and race horses.
4. Pistil/Gynoecium It is the female unit of flower. A
flower may be monocarpellary (having one pistil) or
multicarpellary (having more than one pistils). Pistils
may be syncarpous (fused together) or apocarpous
(free).
The main parts of pistils are:
(i) Stigma receives pollen grains.
(ii) Style is the elongated slender part beneath the
stigma.
(iii) Ovary the bulged part at the base of style.
Placenta is located inside the ovarian cavity or locule.
Megasporangia, commonly called ovules arise from the
placenta. Ovule is attached to the placenta by a stalk
called funicle. The number of ovules in an ovary may
be one (wheat, paddy and mango) to many (papaya,
water melon and orchids).
The main parts of megasporangium (ovule) are:
(i) Hilum is a junction between ovule and funicle.
(ii) Each ovule has one or two protective envelopes
called integuments.
(iii) Micropyle is an opening present at the tip where
integument is absent.
(iv) Chalaza is opposite to the micropylar end
representing the basal part of the ovule.
(v) The integuments encloses a mass of cells called the
nucellus which have food reserves.
(vi) Embryo sac or female gametophyte is located in
the nucellus (generally one formed from megaspores
througth reductional division)
5. Megasporogenesis is the process of formation of

megaspores from the Megaspore Mother Cell (MMC).
The MMC is a large cell with dense cytoplasm and
prominent nucleus. It undergoes meiosis resulting in
the production of four megaspores.
6. Development of Female Gametophyte Different
stages of development of female gametophyte are
given below:
(i) One of the megaspores is functional, while the other
three degenerate in majority of angiosperms.
(ii) Only the functional megaspore develops into the
female gametophyte or embryo sac.
This is called monosporic development.
(iii) Nucleus of the functional megaspore divides
mitotically to form two nuclei, which move to the
opposite poles forming the 2-nucleate embryo sac.
(iv) Nuclear divisions result into the formation of 4-
nucleate and later 8-nucleate stages
of the embryo sac.
(v) Six of the eight nuclei are surrounded by cell walls
and organised into cells.
The remaining two nuclei called polar nuclei, are
situated below the egg apparatus in the large central
cell.
(vi) Three cells group together at the micropylar end
and constitute the egg apparatus.
(vii) The egg apparatus consists of two synergids and
one egg cell.
(viii) A filiform apparatus made of cellular thickenings of
synergids at the micropylar end,
plays an important role in guiding the pollen tubes into
the synergid.
(ix) At the chalazal end, three cells are present called
antipodals.
(x) Thus, a typical angiosperm embryo sac, at maturity
is 8-nucleate and 7-celled.

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Sexual Reproduction in

Sexual reproduction is the process of fusion of haploid

2. Stamen is the male reproductive unit of angiosperm.

5. Megasporogenesis is the process of formation of

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