The meaning of flowers, fruits and seeds in nature and human life. A message about fruits in biology: diversity and role, distribution, amazing fruits and seeds A message about the importance of fruits in human life
- Protective function- the most important of all. It is thanks to the fruit that the seed receives additional protection (from drying out or rotting) and the opportunity for final ripening.
- Seed dispersal- the second most important function of fruits. Thanks to the diversity of fruit structure, the optimal method of distribution for a particular species is achieved, and this means the survival of the species and the expansion of its habitat. Fruits can spread seeds using their special structure (self-dispersal), wind, water, and animals.
- Additional Nutrients- the third most important function. It is not present in all fruits, since the seed of angiosperms itself contains a special substance - endosperm, the role of which is precisely the reserve nutrients for the embryo and its future development.
Formally, seeds are responsible for plant reproduction, but if they didn’t have this convenient device like a fruit, the process of reproduction itself has become very difficult for plants. That is, the fruit performs two important functions at once - it protects the plant’s seeds from damage. favorable conditions environment and damage for the entire period of their ripening, and the second role is to supply the seeds with nutrients that the plant specifically deposits in the fruits. The third role of the fruit is the dissemination of seeds, which is carried out by the most in different ways. Once the seeds are ready, the fruits also finish ripening and become soft and tasty to be eaten and the seeds to be discarded further from the plant. Or the fruits open and the seeds fall to the ground, sometimes the seeds are carried by the winds, and some fruits can even shoot out the seeds.
Fetus plants, for example apple, plum, pear, etc. is the location of its seeds, which use its internal contents, pulp, useful substances, moisture, for their development and maturation, in order to continue their race - the main task and meaning of all living things.
The fruits appeared in the most progressive (on at the moment) groups of plants - Angiosperms or Flowering. It is thanks to the presence of the fruit that they received their main name, as well as their widest distribution.
Fruits perform a number of important functions, which allow Angiosperms or Flowering plants to successfully compete with other plants and perfectly adapt to different conditions Wednesday:
The most important function of the fruit for plants is the protection and distribution of seeds.
Fruits help plants, or rather seeds, survive.
The fruits protect the seeds (walnut), or carry them to a free place (maple), or provide nutrients for the first time (beans), or get into the stomach of animals (rowan), which immediately allows them to fertilize the seeds.
Different plants contain fruits different quantities seeds Some have a lot (poppy seeds, cucumbers, pumpkin), others have them individually (peas, beans), and others have only one (cherry, peach).
All fruits are divided into dry and juicy,
and by the number of seeds into multi-seeded and single-seeded.
The fruit is a very important organ of the plant. It is thanks to him that such an important process as fertilization occurs.
Fruits can be divided, firstly, into complex and simple. Simple ones consist of one pestle, complex ones - of several. An example of a complex fruit is raspberries.
Secondly, juicy and dry. They, in turn, are divided into single-seeded and multi-seeded.
Juicy single-seeded fruits are plum cherry,
juicy multi-seeded fruits such as currants, grapes,
dry single-seeded fruits are rye, wheat,
dry multi-seeded fruits: poppy, bean, mustard.
So, fruits perform many functions, but the main ones are protective and seed distribution.
Fruits are of utmost importance in the life of plants and their reproduction.
Inside the fruit there are several seeds or one. The fruit plays the role of protection and retains the substances necessary to nourish the seeds and form the embryo.
Fruits also play an important role in human life; they accumulate proteins, fats, mineral salts, as well as organic acids, carbohydrates and other vitamins. They have great value in human nutrition.
The fruits are also an important source of food for animals.
The world around us. What is the role of fruits in plant life?
The role of fruits in plant life is very important, since they contribute to the continuation of plant life.
Many plants reproduce by seeds, and the fruits of these plants are designed to:
1) For the growth and location of seeds;
2) Ensuring the maturation of plant seeds;
3) The peel of the fruit protects the ripening seeds;
4) With the help of animals and insects that feed on the fruits, the plant spreads its seeds for further reproduction of its species.
For example, take the nut plant.
The nut has a very dense peel and spreads over long distances with the help of crows, which collect the fruits of the nut and lose it during the flight.
Where they lose it, a new nut will most likely grow.
The fruits of plants contain seeds. With the help of seeds, plants reproduce, that is, thanks to the seeds, the life of a particular plant species continues.
Therefore, plant fruits indirectly participate in plant reproduction. Namely:
fruits protect seeds from adverse environmental influences;
the juicy fruits accumulate nutrients that will nourish the germinating plant from the seed for the first time;
the fruits facilitate the movement of seeds and the spread of plants.
The appearance of the fruit is considered a sign of the full flowering of the plant, when it is full of strength and ready to reproduce. Fruits play a primary role in the life of plants; they prevent plants from becoming extinct and disappearing from the earth. Also, water accumulates in the fruits, which in extreme situations will save the plant from drying out for a while. The fruit is playing important role for seeds inside. Plant seeds are protected by a shell and are ready to give birth to new plant life.
The main functions of fruits in plant life are as follows:
1)Protecting seeds and creating favorable conditions for them to ripen. The fruit protects the seeds from the effects of cold temperatures, microorganisms, insects, and animals will not covet unripe fruits. Many fruits are unripe, that is, at the stage While the protective role is the most important for them, have an unpleasant taste and high acidity. That is, protection is not only mechanical(through the thickness of the fruit it is more difficult for negative factors to damage the seeds), but also chemical.
2)Dispersal of seeds. Here plants have different strategies.
Some fruits are small and very light, or they have a shape that helps spread by wind(maple snubs).
Others ripen and become edible late autumn, while the seeds themselves are covered with a hard shell and are not digested in the gastrointestinal tract of birds. For example, rowan ripens in late autumn and does not fall off, but stays on the branches. It turns out that in winter these berries guaranteed increased attention from birds(there aren’t a lot of other foods!). Birds peck the fruits and carry the seeds over long distances during the winter migration.
The third fruits are different good taste, and they can afford to ripen in the summer: among the summer abundance of food, there will still be animals and people ready to eat them and scatter the seeds (watermelon, cucumber, tomato, etc.)
The fourth ones are designed in such a way as to spread by clinging to animal fur (burdock, string, etc.).
That is, nature has thought out everything: fruit weight and its shape, structure, shell thickness, chemical composition and even ripening time, - all this in order to provide each plant with its own, maximum effective way resettlement and reduce competition between them.
3)Nutrient depot for seeds. There are concepts technical maturity And biological maturity. With technical, the fruit becomes edible, and with biological, its seeds ripen. Good example- tomatoes. To collect the seeds, they are picked and ripened on the windowsill. During this period, the seeds receive nutrients from the fruit.
4)Protection during wintering. Many seeds have a hard shell that prevents them from germinating at the wrong time, and allows it to germinate when the shell swells in the spring. Some fruits have a similar function. In addition, if a whole apple falls to the ground and is left to winter, its pulp covers the seeds from freezing, and in the spring they are already slightly buried in the soil.
5)Fertilizing and adjusting soil acidity. A fruit that falls into the soil or onto its surface begins to decompose and enriches the soil with organic matter. Sometimes the fruit acidifies the soil, and thus eliminates competitors that may prevent the sprout from reaching the light.
6)Loosening the soil. Sometimes the structure of the fruit helps the sprout organize a convenient place of growth. Here you can remember acorns or chestnuts, which, having fallen from the tree, rolled into a groove or depression. Some of them will sprout, others will become a substrate for their growth.
If a chestnut tree falls on flat, dense ground, it has little chance of survival. It will begin to sprout and dry out. And if someone steps on it, the dense shell of the fruit will allow it to be pressed into the ground without being damaged. Doors walnut or beans, for example, if they remain in the place where the seeds grow, they create air cavities in the soil, which also helps the sprouts.
According to the nature of the pericarp of a ripe fruit all fruits can be divided into dry and juicy,
and by the number of seeds - single-seeded and multi-seeded.In the process of evolution, they have developed adaptations for storing seeds (usually hidden inside the fruit) and distributing them:
- in dry fruits, when the seeds ripen, the pericarp must open to allow the seeds to disperse. The pods and beans of some plants scatter seeds themselves;
- Dry multi-seeded fruits have a well-developed seed coat, which protects them after they have been sown from the fruit;
- in dry single-seeded plants (nuts, acorns, grains, achenes), the fruits themselves are scattered along with the seeds. Their fruits do not open. Their pericarps rupture only when the seeds germinate;
- The seeds of juicy multi-seeded and single-seeded fruits are distributed by animals that eat these fruits. Such seeds retain the ability to germinate after passing through the digestive tract. They have a well-developed seed coat;
- Drupe seeds are protected by the inner stony layer of the pericarp - the stone.
Many flowering plants produce large numbers of seeds.
Thus, in nature seeds play an important role in reproduction.
Everything reproduces by seeds flowering plants and even those that reproduce vegetatively. Besides, serve as food for many animals.Their role in human life is very great:
a) serve as food. For the sake of obtaining fruits and seeds, a person grows grains, vegetables, fruit trees And berry bushes, sugar crops, oilseeds, etc.;
b) uses industrial crops (cotton, flax, hemp) in industry;
c) uses medicinal plants in medicine. Currently, medicine uses more than 300 types medicinal plants. They serve as raw materials for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry (anise, belladonna, valerian, chamomile, henbane, datura, mint, etc.);
d) uses forage grasses for feeding domestic animals (clover, alfalfa, sainfoin, vetch, mogar, etc.);
e) decorate a person’s life (aesthetic role) - roses, chrysanthemums, dahlias, petunia, orchids, etc.
Fruits are the final stage of flower development in plants. The plant needs the fruit to protect the seeds of this plant contained in it. The fruit also helps spread these seeds. So the fruit plays an important role in plant reproduction.
Fruits exist only in higher seed plants, and at the same time only in angiosperms and flowering plants. Gymnosperms are devoid of fruits, as well as devoid of closed containers for their seeds, and devoid of flowers. Also, the fruit is formed only from a fertilized flower. Therefore, if for some reason the flower is not pollinated by insects, then it will not bear fruit. The fruit develops from a pollinated ovary, at first it is green and unripe, then it ripens and becomes ripe. At this point, the seeds also ripen.
Amazing fruits
Pericarp- This is the part of the fruit that surrounds the seeds. When the stalk rots, the fruit falls into the ground, where its pericarp creates a nutrient medium for seed germination.
Such fruits occur in nature where there are no seeds. They are called seedless.
There are poisonous fruits that are dangerous to human life. For example, wolfberry (« raven eye") - cute shiny berries that look delicious. They especially threaten playful children who do not yet understand plants. It is important to remember that not all fruits are edible, some are deadly!
If there are several fruits in the ovary and they grow together, then this is called fruits. The fruits are also divided into dry and juicy, by the amount of water in its consistency. That is, by the nature of the pericarp. For example, beans - beans, soybeans, peas, lentils - these are dry fruits. And cherry, pear, peach, orange, tomato, pomegranate, mango - these are all juicy fruits with a lot of water.
Exist in nature very interesting and unusual fruits. For example, the fruit of physalis resembles chinese lantern. And the tropical bean Entada has a pod length of almost two meters! The fruits of the exotic sausage tree, which also grows in the tropics, ripen for a whole year!
The meaning of fruits
The value of plant fruits for humans is great. This is how plants spread in nature, and plants are a source of oxygen for us, food, medicine, and raw materials for the chemical industry. Also, many plant fruits we eat- for example, pears, tangerines, apples, sunflower seeds and so on.
Other fruits themselves are used as medicines- this is how, for example, elderberry fruits are used to prepare a medicine that is valuable and useful for colds. Some fruits - source of natural colors. For example, from blackberries using chemical reagents They make purple paint, and black paint is made from walnut partitions.
You will learn from this article what significance fruits and seeds have for humans.
What is the significance of fruits?
When a flower is pollinated by an insect or wind, it is fertilized and as a result, a fruit is formed from the ovary of the pistil. Nutrients begin to flow to the ovary, it begins to grow and change, transform into a fruit. In its ovule, the formation of seeds with an embryo occurs.
The fruit, which is formed from a flower, consists of seeds inside and pericarp outside. Seeds and fruits contain organic nutrients. Therefore, a person can either use them for food or feed them to animals.
Cultivated plants, depending on the type of accumulated nutrients, are divided into:
- cereals (high in carbohydrates)
- legumes (contain a lot of protein)
- oilseeds (contain edible oil)
Fruits play a very important role in human life: they contain a large amount of vitamins, so people often consume them as food. Vitamins increase the body's resistance to diseases (lemon, rose hips, currants).
The seeds and fruits of the plants are used in medicine. For example, shoots and juicy fruits of raspberries effectively treat colds, blueberries improve digestion and metabolism, and wild strawberries dissolve and remove kidney and liver stones.
The fruits and seeds of the plant are widely used in cosmetics: viburnum juice is an excellent remedy against age spots and skin rashes.
They are often used as a spice that provides food with a pleasant aroma and taste. For example, dill seeds are the basis for marinade, vanilla is used in baking and confectionery, black pepper acts as a seasoning.
Seeds and fruits are used by humans to obtain raw materials in various industries. For example: cotton bolls contain the raw materials necessary for natural fabrics; The seeds of the camelina seed contain a quick-drying oil, from which oil paints are made for painting.
What is the significance of the bright color of the fruit? As a rule, such fruits mean that they are already fully ripe and ready to eat. This is how they attract humans, animals and insects. However, bright color does not always mean that it can be eaten. Often seeds and fruits accumulate toxic substances: wolf's bast, lily of the valley, dope, belladonna, henbane. When bees collect nectar from these plants, the honey will also be poisonous. A person poisoned by such a plant or honey from it experiences problems with the nervous, respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems.
A fruit is a specific organ of flowering (angiosperm) plants, which is a closed container for seeds. It can develop without double fertilization and without seeds (with apomixis).
The variety of fruits is enormous, and they have long attracted the attention of researchers. Already in the 16th century, Caesalpini created an artificial system of classifying flowering plants based on fruit types. In the 18th century, the German scientist Gertner defined the science of fruits, the features of their structure, ontogenesis, ecology and distribution as carpology(lat.carpos– fruit).
People's close attention to the study of fruits is not accidental. Fruits are the basis of our life and have a huge meaning in human life:
1) food (starchy foods containing protein, fruits, drinks, vegetables, spicy foods);
2) feed (beans, vetch, oats, etc.);
3) oilseeds (tung, hemp, sunflower, etc.);
4) medicinal (hawthorn, raspberry, rose hip, etc.);
5) fibrous (cotton);
6) ornamental (bottle gourd, etc.).
The whole fruit or its parts (pericarp, seeds) can be used.
A fruit is the gynoecium of one flower modified after double fertilization or apomixis, sometimes with other parts of the flower growing to it.
Thus, a fruit is a flower modified after double fertilization or apomixis.
Fetal functions:
1) protection for seeds;
2) dissemination ( lat.disseminare– distribute) – the process of seed dispersal.
The meaning of fruits in nature:
1) ensure the settlement, reproduction and survival of plants (see fruit functions);
2) food for animals.
Fruit traits in plants are hereditarily stable. You can often identify a plant by its fruit. In different groups of angiosperms, the evolution of fruits proceeded in their own way, but precisely in the direction of strengthening their functions => some fruits became multi-seeded, others - few or single-seeded. But in any case, devices appeared that contributed to their better distribution.
There are cases when the same species, and even on the same plant, can produce fruits of different structures or having different physiological characteristics (for example, germination times). This phenomenon is called heterocarpy(diversity). It is found, for example, in calendula, in Asteraceae families, Lamiaceae, borage, cruciferous, etc. (two dozen families are known). Heterocarpy has adaptive significance. Thanks to it, fruit distribution improves (fruits of different shapes spread differently), plants have backup dissemination pathways and plant survival improves (since different fruits germinate at different times) => plant adaptability to environmental conditions improves.
Well-known carpologists in their circle worked at the Ulyanovsk Pedagogical University: Levina R.E. and Voitenko V.F., who studied heterocarpy.
The structure of the fruit.
The fruit consists of pericarp (pericarp ) and seeds. The pericarp usually has 3 layers: outer ( exocarp), average ( mesocarp) and internal ( endocarp). These layers can vary in consistency and structure or be of the same type. For example, in a cherry (the fruit is a drupe): the exocarp is filmy, the mesocarp is juicy, fleshy, and the endocarp is hard, stony and forms a stone enclosing the seed. The pericarp typically develops from the walls of the ovary, but sometimes other parts of the flower (bases of stamens, petals, receptacle, etc.) can also be involved in its formation.
