Discover how plants reproduce

Like animals, plants seek to reproduce to produce more organisms and perpetuate the species. Reproduction in plants can occur through asexual reproduction or through sexual reproductionl. On the one hand, asexual reproduction methods are those in which only one plant or cell type intervenes. It is for example, reproduction by cuttings. On the other hand we have sexual reproduction, in which sexual cells (gametes) intervene. If you want to know How do plants reproduce, the mechanisms of sexual and asexual reproduction of plants and examples of each of them, we invite you to continue reading this lesson from a TEACHER!

Index

1. Plant reproduction: sexual or asexual?
2. Asexual reproduction in plants
3. Sexual reproduction in plants

If you want to know how plants reproduce, you have to know that they can do so through sexual and asexual reproduction, and the difference between them is basic. Here we analyze the different types of plant reproduction so that you know them better:

• The asexual reproductionleads to the production of new organisms identical to the starting plant or mother plant. This is because, in asexual reproduction, we start from a group of cells of an individual that retain the ability to divide, multiply and form a new organism, identical to the starting one.
• The sexual reproduction carries the gamete combinationproduced by two parts of the same plant or by two completely different plants, so the new plant will have a combination of characteristics from both parent plants.

Therefore, plants can have asexual or sexual reproduction and, in certain species, both can occur and the plant chooses one or the other depending mainly on the environmental conditions to which it is exposed.

Image: Pinterest

Within the asexual reproduction of plants we can find two large groups, reproduction by vegetative multiplication and reproduction by germs. This type of reproduction usually occurs in more primitive plant species, the so-called group of the non-vascular plants, and it is believed that it is an evolutionary mechanism for the colonization of new environments since, since it does not need to generate special cells, it is faster than sexual reproduction.

The mechanisms of vegetative multiplication They are:

• The fragmentation. In plants with this type of reproduction, the cells of a part of the mother plant divide or fragment to create clone copies of themselves. These new parts are called thalli or stems. A very common example of fragmentation is reproduction by cuttings: from a piece or fragment of the mother plant we can generate a new plant very similar to the mother plant. Plants with vines or lavender are reproduced by cuttings.
• Reproduction through germs. It is called germ to all that asexual reproductive structure but, unlike gametes, these develop directly by the individual. These structures can be a single cell (spores) or be multicellular. In this case, depending on the part of the plant where it occurs, they can be called in different ways, some examples are:
• Tubers: Thickened roots that spread underground. Some examples are potatoes or garlic, but carrots or radishes are also root vegetables.
• Rhizomes: Stems that are buried in the ground and create several buds, which grow horizontally and can differentiate into roots that give rise to new shoots. Some examples of plants with rhizomes are: oregano, banana, lilies or sugar cane.
• Stolons: Stems that grow horizontally, along the surface of the soil and that can root, creating a new plant. An example occurs in the strawberry or clover plant.

The sexual reproduction It occurs when two cells specialized in reproduction have to unite to give rise to a new individual. In this case, the reproductive cell has the name of gamete and not a spore, since it has half the chromosomal endowment and, generally, cannot give rise to a new individual without encountering another gamete. This type of reproduction focuses on achieving more genetic variability by chromosomal recombination, but for this, the plant has to carry out several processes:

1. Meiosis. To generate gametes, one must pass from diploid to haploid cells through meiosis.
2. Singamia or fertilization. It is the process by which two gametes unite. The female gametes in plants are called ovocell, oosphere, or ovule, and male gametes are anterozoid, anterozoid, or sperm.
3. Fertilization. After the union of the two gametes, the union of the genetic material carried by these two takes place. This process is called fertilization.

The plant structures where gametes are generated are called gametangia. Depending on whether we are dealing with a more primitive plant or with a more developed plant, the gametangia can be simple sacs or be made up of numerous shells and parts specialized. In more developed plants the male gametangium is called antheridium and is normally thread-shaped (filiform) and is smaller than the female gametangium. The female gametangium is called oogonium, is larger than the antheridium and is usually spherical.

Sexual reproduction in plants depends, as we have already seen, on their degree of complexity. Currently, the most complex plants, in terms of reproduction, are plants with flowers or angiosperms. Reproduction in angiosperms is somewhat more complicated than previously seen since during fertilization forms the seeds, which are covered with shells and tissues to form the fruits. In addition, flowers have complex and intricate pollen dispersal mechanisms either by attracting animals or by other means. If you want to know more about this topic you can consult our lesson on Reproduction of flowering plants.

If you want to read more articles similar to How do plants reproduce, we recommend that you enter our category of biology.

• Lambers, H. (2019). Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved December 28, 2019, from www.britannica.com/science/plant-reproductive-system
• Raven, P. H., Evert, R. F., & Eichhorn, S. AND. (2005). Biology of plants. Macmillan.