Karishma Post 7

Over a while, our plant (the Brassica oleracea) reproduced sexually. The Brassica oleracea plants are also known as angiosperms. Angiosperms are a specific type of plant that has flower structures on them. In order to reproduce, the flower must primarily be pollinated. Angiosperm plants can be pollinated in two ways: self-pollination or cross-pollination. During pollination the pollen transfers from the anther (male reproductive part) to the stigma (female reproductive part). Afterward, the stigma carries the pollen down a tube known as a style to the ovary. In the ovary, there is an ovule. Once the pollen reaches the ovule, it can fertilize to form an embryo. This embryo grows into a seed which will later be dispersed and grow to form another plant. 

This is the plant before it has been dissected. All parts remain intact.

This shows all parts of the flower as it would be visible in the wild. 

                                              

This is the plant with all the petals stripped off. It is under a dissection microscope so we can clearly view all the reproductive organs that are present in the flower. This picture shows the pistil and stigma which are both female reproductive organs. You can also see the stamen and anthers which are both the male reproductive organs. Flowers, such as this, that contain both female and male reproductive organs are considered perfect. 

This is a picture of the magnified male reproductive organs in the flower: stamen and anthers. The anther the little pointed thing on the tip of the stamen (looks a little like an elf shoe). The inside of the anther contains pollen that would fertilize the female gametes and eventually form a seed. During cross-pollination, the pollen is carried through a certain vector, whether that be wind or bees. 

Here, the stamen and anthers have been stripped off and we are looking at the female reproductive system also known as the carpel. The carpel is a stalk (also known as a style) and a sticky tip which is also known as the stigma. Since the stigma is adhesive, pollen sticks onto it. 

This is pollen from the plant under a light compound microscope with a magnification of 100x. These pollen particles are what fertilize the female gametes. Once fertilized, they form a seed that would later grow into a plant.