Sex and dispersal: gametes, spores, seeds and fruits

Summary

This chapter is about reproduction in land plants. The evolution of reproduction involves convergent evolution and the reduction of parts of the life cycle, as well as the origin of new structures to promote sexual outcrossing, multiplication and dispersal. The angiosperms with their diverse flowers are described in Chapter S. Differences in reproductive characters are the signposts of major evolutionary events and are used in classification. A classification of living land plants is presented at the end of the chapter.