Asexual Reproduction - Spores

IN THE SYLLABUS!

How different plants reproduce?• Non-flowering plants– Ferns– Mosses– Liverworts– Algae– Seaweeds

• Fungi

NON-FLOWERING PLANTS/FUNGI• They have no flowers.• Examples of non-flowering plants : algae, seaweeds,

mosses, liverworts, ferns.• Reproduce by spores.• Spores : tiny spherical cell• Millions of spores are found inside spore capsules.

They reproduce by … …• Spores – tiny spherical cells that will grow into a new

individual.• Spores are found in the sporangia (spore cases or

spore bags).• Sporangia are club-shaped with the spores crammed

within the swollen head of the club.• When the sporangia matured, it splits open and

discharges the spores.• Spores being small and light can be blown by the

wind to far away places.

Mosses• The spore capsule of a moss is at the top of a stalk

which sticks out of the leafy part of the plant.• When the spore capsules are ripe, they open and

scatter the spores which may then be carried further by wind.

• If they land on favourable soil, they start to grow.

Mosses

Spore containing structures of the mosses

Ferns• They are "vascular plants" with well-developed internal vein structures that promote the flow of water and nutrients. • The leafy branch of the fern is usually called a

frond. The small leaflets that make up the whole frond are called pinnae.

• Small clumps, spots or patches can be found on the under surface of the pinnae. These patches are where you find the spores. The spores grow inside casings called sporangia.

Ferns• Not every frond has

spores under it: fronds that have the spores are called fertile fronds.

• The arrangement of the sporangia may be in long lines, in rounded groups or even spread over the entire surface.

A sporangium with spores

Germination of a spore

Life cycle of a fern

Ferns

Spore sac Spores

Fungi• Fungi e.g. bread mould also reproduce by spores. • Bread mould looks like a mass of fine threads from

which branches grow upwards. At the end of each branch is a spore case from which spores are released and furthered dispersed by wind.

• Mushrooms, another type of fungi have spores found on the underside of its cap in between the gills of the cap.

Fungi

Gills

Cap

Stalk