Anthers and Stigmas and Styles, Oh My!

We got the flower out of the garden, and we first took out a piece of the flower. We then looked over the flower as a whole and then in big parts. After removing the sepals and petals, we saw the anthers. They were like small sticks sticking out of the flower. The picture was difficult, but we achieved it. Without the filament and anthers, we saw the carpel and took the picture. The hardest part for us was cutting the ovary. But after cutting it, we clearly saw the ovoules, even though they were hard to see. It took me 5 minutes to see them with Brendan's help. They looked like little dots inside the overys. Brendan and I found them very interesting, but it was worth all the time it took to cut into the overys successfully. The ovules also become fertilized and become eggs early on, which we found pretty cool. What we found cool, is that the plant is actually self-fertilized by the pollen in the anthers, which we didn't know!

1. Picture 1: the flower parts, and just the bare petals in the flower and etc.
2. Picture 2: The anthers inside after we cut and opened the flower
1. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Picture 3: the anthers coming out of the eyepiece affter removing the sepals and petals
   
   
   Picture 4: the carpel coming out after pulling back the filament and the anthers (it's the complete female reproductive structure)
   
   
   Picture 5: the ovules inside the ovary after cutting in the ovary with a small pair of scissors.
   
   

Anthers and Stigmas and Styles, Oh My!

The basic question in which we are to be answering is "How do angiosperms reproduce?". Though the question is answered through the photos and their captions and explanation before hand may help. The scientific way is that the pollen is produced and released by the male part. The next step is to transfer the pollen to the female part and to then reproduce further through meiosis.

This image shows the stamen and the anther. The anthers are surrounding the stamen.

Those are the male reproductive anatomy for the flower. Below that is the carpel and stigma. Since both male and female parts are present the flower can be considered "perfect". Sometimes in flowers the male and female parts are in separate flowers, while in others there are both parts in the flower. 

This image shows the flowers male reproductive anatomy. This is referred to as the stamen. The stamen has stalk, which is called a filament, that comes from the base of the flower. At the end of the filament a part known at the anther is present. An anthers job is to produce and release pollen grains, or the plants male gametes. 

In this photo there is the carpel.(On the picture it is the lower green object) This carpel is the flowers female reproductive anatomy. The female parts has a stalk, like in the male parts. The difference in the stalks is that the female one has something called a style. The end of the style has a tip called a stigma. That stigma is very sticky so it can catch pollen grain and it is where the flower reproduces.

In this last photo all the other parts of the plants have been stripped away. When you split the stem in two you will be able to see the ovules being released from the stem. 

Anthers and Stigmas and Styles, Oh My!

Fertilization of flowering plants, such as Brassica Oleracea, begins with pollinators. Bees, bats, birds, butterflies and other animals that may brush up against plants transfer pollen from one flower to another. When a pollinator touches a flower, sticky pollen found on the anther clings to the creature. Next time that animal touches a flower, the pollen is transferred onto the sticky stigma. Now that the flower has been pollinated it moves onto germination. Each granule of pollen extends a pollen tube down the style, towards the ovary. In the final step of fertilization, the sperm found in pollen travels down the pollen tube and joins with an ovule, or egg, forming a zygote.

This is the male part of the flower. Better known as the stamen.  It contains a stock called filament that  comes up from the base of the flowering and the end of the stock called the anther.This portion of the stamen produces and releases pollen grains, which contain the plant's male gametes.

This is the female reproductive system of a brassica oleracea plant, called a stigma(40x). The stigma contains the style and the ovary. The stigma is sticky at the top, bringing in pollen through the style and down into the ovaries. The pollen can reach the stigma through multiple types of pollination. The pollen either grapes onto various pollinators (as touched on in previous posts, or can be carried off by winds, although the first of the two is much more common.

The image above show anthers surrounding a stigma. They all are part of the same flower. If you are able to see both male and female parts of a flower the, flower is considered ideal. Sometimes in plants that flower, the male and female parts are located on different flowers




.

Anthers and Stigmas and Styles, Oh My!

The basic question in which we are to be answering is "How do angiosperms reproduce?". Though the question is answered through the photos and their captions and explanation before hand may help. There are multiple ways in which a plant reproduces is what we know as "The birds and the bees", but in a literal manner. Birds such as humming birds will take pollen from the anther of a male plant and take it to the stigma of a female plant to reproduce. The bee's will do the same process. The scientific way is that the pollen is produced and released by the male part. The next step is to transfer the pollen to the female part and to then reproduce further through meiosis.

The image above shows an anther and stamen on the top which is the male reproductive anatomy of a flower. Just below that is the carpel and stigma. This is a close up picture of the anthers surrounding the stamen. Due to both the female and male reproductive parts being present, the flower is considered "perfect". In some flowers, the male and female parts are in the flower. While in other flowers, the male and female parts are in separate flowers. 

The image above shows a view of a the male reproductive anatomy of a flower. This is commonly referred to as the stamen. The stamen has a stalk called a filament that comes from the base of a flower. At the end of this filament there is a part known as the anther. The anthers job is to produce and release the plants male gametes called pollen grains.

In the photo above, the main focus is the green stick like figure, or the lowest figure shown in the picture. The green stick like figure is the carpel. The carpel is the female reproductive anatomy of a flower. Like the male parts, the female also has a stalk. The only difference is the stalk is called the "style". At the end of the style, there is a tip called a stigma which is very sticky. On the sigma is where pollen grains become stuck and the flower reproduces.

In this photo, all parts of the plant have been stripped and taken away. A pair of scissors were used to split the stem in two. If observed further, the ovules can be seen releasing from the stem.