AP Biology Questions on Plant Sexual and Asexual Reproduction

📚 Quick Study Guide

🔍 Plants have both sexual and asexual reproduction methods. Asexual reproduction results in genetically identical offspring (clones), while sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation. 🧬 Asexual Reproduction:
• 🌱 Types include fragmentation (separation of a parent plant into parts that form whole plants), budding (outgrowth from parent), and apomixis (production of seeds without fertilization).
• 💪🏽 Advantageous in stable environments.
🌸 Sexual Reproduction:
• 🌼 Involves the alternation of generations: sporophyte (2n) produces spores (n) via meiosis, which develop into gametophytes (n). Gametophytes produce gametes (n) via mitosis, which fuse during fertilization to form a zygote (2n) that develops into a new sporophyte.
• 🌺 Angiosperms (flowering plants) have unique structures: flowers (for reproduction), fruits (for seed dispersal).
• 💥 Double fertilization is unique to angiosperms: one sperm fertilizes the egg to form a zygote, and the other sperm fuses with the two polar nuclei to form the endosperm (3n), which nourishes the developing embryo.
• 🌿 Pollination: transfer of pollen from anther to stigma. Can be by wind, water, or animals.
🔢 Key Terms:
• 🌿 Sporophyte: Diploid, spore-producing plant.
• 🌱 Gametophyte: Haploid, gamete-producing plant.
• 🌸 Pollination: Transfer of pollen to stigma.
• 🌼 Fertilization: Fusion of sperm and egg.

🧪 Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following is NOT a method of asexual reproduction in plants?
   1. Fragmentation
   2. Budding
   3. Meiosis
   4. Apomixis
2. What is the ploidy of the endosperm in angiosperms after double fertilization?
   1. n
   2. 2n
   3. 3n
   4. 4n
3. In the alternation of generations, the sporophyte generation produces:
   1. Gametes via mitosis
   2. Spores via meiosis
   3. Zygotes via fertilization
   4. Seeds via pollination
4. Which part of the flower develops into a fruit?
   1. Anther
   2. Ovary
   3. Stigma
   4. Filament
5. What is the primary purpose of the endosperm?
   1. Attract pollinators
   2. Protect the seed
   3. Provide nutrients to the developing embryo
   4. Facilitate seed dispersal
6. Which process directly leads to increased genetic variation in plant offspring?
   1. Fragmentation
   2. Apomixis
   3. Sexual reproduction
   4. Vegetative propagation
7. The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma is known as:
   1. Fertilization
   2. Pollination
   3. Germination
   4. Vegetative propagation