Insect-Pollinated Flowers
- Flowers are the reproductive organs of plants
- They can contain both male and female reproductive parts
- The male parts of flowers produce pollen grains; these contain a nucleus that functions as the male gamete
- Unlike the male gamete in humans (sperm), pollen is not capable of locomotion (moving from one place to another)
- The female parts of flowers contain ovules that contain the female gamete
- During pollination pollen is transferred from the male to the female parts of the flower; this can occur due:
- Insect pollination
- Wind pollination
General flower structure diagram
Flowers are the reproductive organs of plants
Flower structures and functions table
Exam Tip
For the core syllabus, you need to be able to identify, draw and state the functions of the following parts of an insect-pollinated flower:
- Sepals
- Petals
- Stamens
- Filaments
- Anthers
- Carpels
- Style
- Stigma
- Ovary
- Ovules