Flowering plants begin their life cycle when they create a bud that is then covered by green sepals to protect it until its time for blooming to arrive.
Flowers attract pollinators such as birds, bees and bats – or wind – that transfer pollen from male parts (anther) of flowers (anthers) to the female parts (stigmas). Fertilisation happens and seeds form.
Pollination
Pollination refers to the transfer of male sperm cells from an anthers of flowers into their stigmas in order to allow plants to produce seeds and reproduce or have offspring. Flowers can either pollinate themselves directly, or be pollinated by other flowers within or across various plants; this process is known as cross-pollination.
Fertilization begins when an anther of a flower releases pollen grains carrying genetic information about that particular bloom, which are then transferred to its stigma, located above its ovary and which responds positively when touched by pollen grains from within its own species. Once there, these pollen grains contact with each other before entering pistil ovules where sperm nuclei enter and fertilize them, giving rise to seeds within them that will eventually develop further into seeds themselves.
Flowers typically consist of four parts, the calyx, corolla, androecium and gynoecium. The calyx is a green or colorful protective covering for unopened flower buds; often resembling leaves. The corolla is an outer covering made up of colorful petals arranged continuously or lobed. Pollinators use this outer covering to visit their desired bloom, and attract pollinators through colors on its petals as well as distinctive shapes and patterns; many also smell nice while many possess sticky coatings that allow pollen pickup!
Pollinators such as insects are the main pollinators; however, birds, bats, and wind may also transport pollen between flowers. Flowers evolved with bright and attractive colors and pleasant scents to attract pollinators to increase pollen transference between blooms – as well as physical traits and behaviors to help pollinators transport it more easily – such as nectar guides that resemble bull’s-eyes or stripes near the center of each bloom – either visible to human vision or invisible when illuminated with ultraviolet light used by certain pollinators!
Seeds
Seeds contain all of the parts necessary for developing into mature plants when conditions are ideal, including root, stem, and leaf structures that produce energy through photosynthesis. Most seeds require oxygen, moisture and sunlight for their process of germination to begin; additionally they need protection in form of physical toughness such as thick shells or chemical barriers like abscisic acid that inhibit germination; dormancy can be broken by means such as soaking, scarifying (scratching the surface), cold/moist stratification or heating such as boiling or oven baking.
Once pollen from one flower’s stamen has reached the stigma of another flower, fertilization occurs. Insects like bees, butterflies or bats typically aid this process as they drink nectar-rich nectar from flowers – picking up pollen on their legs and bodies before flying to another to collect more nectar – depositing that pollen onto its stigma where its ovules become fertilized, eventually producing seeds from that particular stigma flower.
After fertilization, flowers produce fruit to protect their seeds until conditions are suitable for sprouting. Many plants employ strategies to increase their chances of finding an ideal niche for their seeds to take root – including explosively dropping fruit or shaping it to catch the wind; others collaborate with wildlife such as bees or birds by producing sticky or hook-like seeds to stick onto fur or feathers before being dispersed to locations where they can develop into mature plants.
Growth
Flowering plant growth depends on several factors, including water and nutrients available to it and sunlight received. Sunlight allows them to make food through photosynthesis; it enables carbon dioxide and water to enter their roots before being transformed into glucose by chlorophyll in their leaves.
As plants develop, their reproductive needs vary depending on whether or not they use their own seeds for reproduction, or spread pollen to another female-part bearing plant (as in daisies). Some flowers are specifically designed to encourage specific animals into them and help with this process, like having petals shaped into landing stages for birds or bright yellow “land here” signs for bees. Other flowers use anthers covered with pollen grains to attract bees and insects and sticky or barbated stigmas to increase chances that pollen grains transfer onto flower ovules which then fertilize them successfully.
After fertilization, plants typically produce fruit that contains their seeds. Depending on environmental factors and seed germination rates, some seeds can sprout into entire new plants; others form bulbs and tubers like those seen on dandelion roots or rhubarb stems. Other plants reproduce asexually without fertilization of egg cells to generate seedlings.
Some flowering plants complete their lifecycle within one year, growing from seed into an adult with leaves and roots before reproducing itself. Other perennial species may take multiple years before reaching this point in their existence, usually finishing their reproductive cycles after their second year has passed.
Maturity
At maturity, plants reach the final step in their life cycle: reproduction. This involves many steps that involve producing seeds, pollination and fertilization before dispersion via animals, water or other means to form new plants – and eventually changing in shape, growth and flowering before beginning the cycle once more.
Different plant species complete their life cycles at differing rates. Annuals complete their lifecycle in one year (corn, dandelions), whereas biennials take two years before reaching maturity and beginning the reproductive stage in their second year (beets, burdock). Finally, perennial species live several seasons before reaching maturity and restarting their cycle again.
The biological process of maturation differs among plants and is affected by genetic, environmental and behavioral factors. Maturation often has various meanings depending on its context but generally refers to moving away from dependence on guardianship for decision making acts and oversight by adults in making choices independently. With flowers this is typically associated with their petals switching functions from attracting insects towards receiving and disseminating pollen, fertilizing ovules and nurturing young seeds.
Maturity can also be determined by the size of pollen loads received by flowers. For instance, hermaphrodite Campanula rapunculoides flowers that receive large pollen loads fade more rapidly than those with smaller loads, possibly because more resources must be dedicated towards supporting an enlarged stigma that receives and deposits pollen than when supporting smaller stigmas of hermaphrodite flowers.
Dispersal
Flowers play an integral part in the lifecycle of plants; not only as visual delights and fragrant perfumes, but as part of sexual reproduction processes that help ensure species survival. Plants without flower-producing capabilities such as grasses, mosses or ferns reproduce via spores to continue on in their species’ evolution.
Pollination is the initial step in the life cycle of any flower. Pollination involves male and female gametes combining to form embryonic seeds within seeds, necessitating pollen moving from stamen (part of reproductive organs of flowers) to stigma (part of reproductive organs of flowers) through insects or birds visiting it.
Once pollen has been transferred from stigma to stigma, it must then be brought to the ovary of a flower, where it will combine with its ovules to form seeds – these ovules can usually be found nearer the center and often surrounded by pistil.
Once seeds have been produced, they must be dispersed to complete their lifecycle. Different plants have evolved various methods of dispersal such as being spread by wind or floating in water; others even develop hooks to attach themselves to passersby.
Once a seed has been dispersed, it has the potential to develop into a plant when conditions are suitable. When this happens, photosynthesis begins producing its own food through photosynthesis which provides energy needed for continued growth and seed production. Roots and stems will form, providing strength against weather or disturbance from animals or competitors.