Seeds - Biology Of Seeds, Dissemination Of Seeds, Seeds As Food, Other Uses Of Seeds - Uses of seeds
species plants sexual genetic
Seeds are the products of the sexual reproduction of plants, and for this reason the genetic information of seeds is influenced by both of the parents. Sexual reproduction is important for two reasons. The first involves the prevention of the loss of potentially important genetic information, a process that occurs when non-sexual means of propagation are prevalent. The other benefit of sexual reproduction is associated with the provision of new genetic combinations upon which natural selection acts, so that species continue to evolve populations that are favorably adapted to a dynamically changing environment.
Plants have evolved various mechanisms for the dissemination of their seeds, so that new plants can be established at some distance from their parent. The dispersal of seeds is important in expanding the range of plant species, especially if species are to take advantage of habitat opportunities that may be created by disturbances and other ecological processes.
The seeds of some plant species are important to humans, as sources of food, while other seeds are important as raw materials for the manufacture of industrial chemicals, and other products.
The seeds of some species of plants are extremely important for human welfare. In some cases, this is because the seeds (or the fruits that contain them) are used as a source of food, but there are some other important uses of seeds as well.
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Seeds develop from the fertilized ovules of female (pistillate) floral parts, following fertilization by pollen released from the male (staminate) floral parts. If ovules and pollen come from different individual plants, then the genetic makeup of the seed represents a mixture of the two parent plants, and sexual reproduction is said to have occurred.
A close-up of grass seed on grass. Photogr…
A plant seed is a unique genetic entity, a biological individual. However, a seed is in a diapause state, an essentially dormant condition, awaiting the ecological conditions that will allow it to grow into an adult plant, and produce its own seeds. Seeds must therefore germinate in a safe place, and then establish themselves as a young seedling, develop into a juvenile plant, and finally become a…
There are numerous examples of the use of seeds as food for humans. The seeds may be eaten directly, or used to manufacture flour, starch, oil, alcohol, or some other edible products. The seeds of certain agricultural grasses are especially important foodstuffs, for example, those of wheat (Triticum aestivum), rice (Oyza sativa) maize (Zea mays), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and barley (Hordeum vulg…
The seeds of some plants have other uses, including serving as resources for the manufacturing of industrial chemicals, such as grain alcohol (ethanol), derived from a fermentation of the seeds of corn, wheat, or some other plants. The seeds of some plants are used as attractive decorations, as is the case of the Job's tears (Coix lachryma-jobi), a grass that produces large, white, shiny se…
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