Download Plants Also Reproduce Asexually

Plants Also Reproduce Asexually
Mr. Chapman
Biology 20
Asexual Reproduction in Plants
• A combination of sexual and asexual
reproduction allows plants to adapt
effectively to various conditions.
• Can you remember how sexual and
asexual reproduction are an advantage?
It depends on the conditions facing the
plant.
Asexual Reproduction in Plants
• Many plants reproduce asexually so that
a well-adapted plant can make copies of
itself. Most plants actually have a way of
cloning themselves.
• Many plants can grow into new plants
from just a fragment of a stem, leaf, or
root. When plants reproduce this way,
they are said to be reproducing by
regeneration.
Grass often grows in clumps, due to asexual reproduction. If you grab a clump of
grass, odds are that all the blades close to each other are clones of each other.
Vegetative Reproduction
• Vegetative reproduction is a type of
asexual reproduction in which stems,
leaves, or roots attached to the parent
plant produce new individuals.
• One of the most stunning examples of
this is an aspen tree forest in Utah. The
forest is actually 47000 tree trunks
growing from the roots of 1 parent
plant.
The Aspen Forest
• Well, I am pretty sure that this video is
designed to make you want to go to
Utah:
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B
uq8_ikpeE
• Most of the trees that you see in this
video are actually genetically identical.
Structures for Asexual Reproduction
• Many structures are actually designed
for asexual reproduction to take place.
They include the following:
• Stolons - stolons are horizontal stems
that grow along the ground. New plants
can sprout from the stems. This is how
strawberry plants reproduce.
Strawberries reproduce using stolons, horizontal roots that sprout new plants.
Structures for Asexual Reproduction
• Rhizomes – similar to stolons, only
rhizomes grow underground.
• Tubers – potatoes are examples of
tubers, which are underground stems.
The “eyes” of a potato are buds that can
sprout new plants.
• Bulbs – bulbs (like onions) can divide to
produce new plants.
Humans Capitalize on Asexual Reproduction
• Vegetative Propagation is the process of
growing new plants from the fragments of
another plant.
• This method allows farmers to grow things
like seedless oranges. Did you ever think of
how seedless oranges came to be?
• In fact, most apples that we eat come from
propagated branches rather than trees.
Vegetative Propagation
• Vegetative propagation can be achieved
by a few common methods.
• Some plants are reproduced using
cuttings from stems or leaves. If the
cutting is placed in soil or water, it will
produce new roots.
• Cuttings are an easy way for
horticulturists to grow new plants for
sale.
Grafting
• Fruit and nut tree growers can actually
graft parts of one plant to parts of
another plant.
• By making an incision in a part of a tree
and inserting a branch from another
tree, sometimes growers can create a
tree that produces the desired fruit but
has other good characteristics, like
disease resistance.
Videos for Vegetative Propagation
• Sugarcane Growth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPraEesXRSs
• Britannica Asexual Reproduction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfPP2CQGuC0