Key definitions Female – of, pertaining to, or being the sex that is normally able to bear children or lay eggs
Male – of, pertaining to, or being the sex that can typically create small, usually motile gametes that
fertilize a female's eggs
Pollen – a collection of microspores found in seed plants that typically appear as a fine dust
Cone – something with a form similar to a cone
Androecium – the collection of stamens found in a seed plant's blossom
Nuclei – a cellular organelle of eukaryotes that is contained within a distinct membrane and is vital to cell
processes (such as protein synthesis and reproduction)
Tube – any of a wide range of frequently cylindrical objects or structures
Reproduction – the process by which plants and animals produce offspring; it essentially entails the
sexual or asexual segregation of a section of the parental body, followed by that portion's growth and
differentiation into a new individual
Distinct – making a distinct, vivid impression
Exercises 1: Read the following words and guess their meaning:
double-layered integument, degenerate, maturity, pollen, microspore, pollen grain, anther, stamen,
filament, distinct phase, undergo, embryo sac, fuse, adjacent, fertilization, integument, alternation,
cone, position, central axis
Exercise 2: Solve the crossword puzzle using the clues about the reproductive process.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
CLUES
ACROSS 3 The scales of the cones are closed during
development of this.
4 It takes approximately one year for the pollen
tube to grow and migrate towards this.
7 After this process of the egg, the diploid
zygote is formed.
DOWN 1 This cell migrates towards the female
gametophyte through the micropyle.
2 One of the two sexes in animals.
5 After fertilization of the egg, the diploid
zygote is formed, which divides by mitosis to
form this.
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8 The male gametophyte containing this splits
into two sperm nuclei.
6 Upon landing on the female cone, the tube
cell of this forms this tube.
8 The scales of this is closed during
development of the seed.
