Plants go through a lifecycle that entails various stages, including germination, seedling development and production of new seeds.
As soon as a seed germinates it begins to use water, sunlight and soil resources to grow into a plant. Watch this video to witness it all happen.
Seed
Each seed encases an embryo – a tiny plant with roots, stems and leaf-like parts called cotyledons – inside it.
Seed coats provide an outer layer of protection that keeps seeds from drying out or splitting open when exposed to air or water, protecting their delicate embryo from harm and protecting its delicate cells from destruction.
Once a seed has had time to absorb moisture and become hydrated, its cells begin absorbing it via its seed coat – this process, known as germination, allows its tiny plant inside to blossom into something greater.
This stage is essential in the lifecycle of all plants. It allows for embryos within seeds to mature into fully functioning plants that can survive and reproduce successfully.
Germination takes time, as seeds require suitable conditions (water, temperature and location such as soil) in order to germinate successfully. Once these three requirements have been fulfilled, tiny seedlings emerge from their respective ground locations and start taking in moisture and nutrients through their roots.
After sprouting, plants begin producing leaves to use the sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and minerals in their soil as sources for food and energy production through photosynthesis – an energy conversion process powered by green pigments in these leaves to drive plant growth.
Plant leaves also serve to shield its seeds from insects and diseases that threaten them, providing an opportunity for them to flourish and produce flowers that pollinate other blooms, creating another cycle in nature’s endless cycle.
Some flowering plants complete their lifecycle in just weeks while others take years. Roses, for instance, are annuals; their germination and growth cycle is completed within one growing season of growth; other species like rhododendrons and azaleas complete both cycles twice in their lifespans.
Most plant species follow an intricate lifecycle from their seeds germinating through to growth, flowering and death. While some, like sunflowers, may bloom year after year while others might only live a short life span before dying off completely.
There are various varieties of seeds, each one possessing its own genetic profile. Yet all seeds share the same basic structure: fertilized mature ovule containing fertilized egg cells which enclose embryonic plant tissue as well as food storage facilities inside it.
Size and shape of seeds may vary significantly depending on the species of plant they come from, with some small seeds becoming larger and round.
Other seeds feature a hard outer coating that shields their embryo. Some can be oval in shape while others feature round bodies and have pointed tips.
Seeds come in four main shapes: anatropous, orthotropous, campylotropous and amphitropous. Their shapes are determined by genes involved in their development, and how those genes are managed can alter how a seed develops over time.