Plants & Animals Year 5 & 6

Plant reproduction

Plants reproduce (make new plants) in two main ways: sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction.

Sexual reproduction

Sexual reproduction happens in flowering plants. It involves two main stages: pollination and fertilisation.

Pollination occurs when pollen is transferred from the male part of a flower (the stamen) to the female part (the carpel or pistil). This can happen through insects, wind or sometimes water.

After pollination, fertilisation takes place. The pollen joins with an ovule inside the flower. This allows a seed to form. Many plants also develop fruit, which protects the seeds and helps with dispersal.

Sexual reproduction produces variation, meaning the new plants are slightly different from their parents. This variation can help species survive changes in the environment.

Asexual Reproduction

Asexual reproduction does not require pollination or seeds. Instead, a new plant grows from part of the parent plant. The new plant is genetically identical to the parent.

Common examples include:

Bulbs – Plants such as onions and tulips grow from underground bulbs that can produce new plants.
Runners – Strawberry plants send out thin stems (runners) that grow new plants along the ground.
Cuttings – Gardeners can cut a piece of stem from a plant and grow a new one from it.

Asexual reproduction allows plants to spread quickly, especially in stable environments.

Life cycles of plants

All plants go through a life cycle, which shows the stages of growth and reproduction.

Germination

The life cycle begins with a seed. When a seed has the right conditions — water, warmth and oxygen — it begins to grow. This process is called germination.

The seed absorbs water, swells and splits open. A tiny root grows downward into the soil, and a shoot grows upward toward the light.

Growth

As the plant grows, it develops roots, stems and leaves. The leaves begin making food through photosynthesis, allowing the plant to grow bigger and stronger.

Flowering

When the plant is mature, it produces flowers. Flowers are important for reproduction because they contain the reproductive organs.

Seed Production

After pollination and fertilisation, seeds form. These seeds can be dispersed by wind, animals or water, allowing new plants to grow in different places.

The cycle then begins again.

The oldest known seed to successfully grow into a plant was around 2,000 years old. It was a Judean date palm seed discovered in an ancient site near the Dead Sea. Scientists carefully planted it, and it successfully germinated and grew.

BBC Bitesize - What is the lifecycle of a plant?
Seeds grow roots and shoots. Roots and shoots then grow leaves above ground.

Plant adaptations

Plants are adapted to survive in different environments. An adaptation is a feature that helps a living thing survive in its habitat.

Desert plants

Desert plants, such as cacti, are adapted to survive in hot, dry conditions. They often have:

Thick stems to store water
Spines instead of leaves to reduce water loss
Wide root systems to quickly absorb rainfall

Some desert plants can survive long periods without rain.

Rainforest plants

Rainforest plants grow in warm, wet environments where there is a lot of competition for sunlight. Many have:

Large leaves to absorb as much light as possible
Drip tips to allow rainwater to run off
Shallow roots to absorb nutrients from the top layer of soil

Some rainforest plants grow on other trees to reach the sunlight.

Aquatic plants

Aquatic plants live in water. They are adapted in different ways depending on whether they float or grow underwater.

Floating plants often have:

Broad leaves that float on the surface
Air spaces inside their stems for buoyancy

Underwater plants may have flexible stems to move with water currents.

Why adaptations matter

Adaptations help plants survive in challenging conditions. Without these specialised features, many plants would not be able to live in such extreme environments.