SPI Biology · Free notes
Reproduction: SPI Biology
Reproduction has 7 questions in the SPI bank, all from the LWS mocks, and two of them are HARD. Four are EASY one-fact recalls: what fertilisation is, a pair of bisexual flowers, the hormones of puberty and the kind of method a condom is. The other three show a diagram (a carpel with pollen, the male system, the ovary through a month) and ask which statement is true. Those are won by knowing what each part does, so the tables pair every organ with its job and its hormone.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
Reproduction in Flowering Plants
3 questionsA flower is the plant's reproductive part: pollen from the stamen reaches the stigma, a pollen tube carries the male gamete to the ovule, and the gametes fuse.
Human Reproduction
4 questionsThe testes make sperms and testosterone, the ovaries make eggs and oestrogen, and fertilisation in the oviduct starts a new life that grows in the uterus.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 4 reference tables · 7 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 4 reference tables · 7 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (2)
Parts of a flower, bisexual and unisexual flowers4 rows
| Flower | Stamens and pistil | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Hibiscus | Both | Bisexual |
| Mustard | Both | Bisexual |
| Papaya | Only one, on separate plants | Unisexual |
| Watermelon | Only one in each flower | Unisexual Papaya and watermelon are the unisexual examples to remember. |
Pollination and fertilisation3 rows
| Step | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Pollination | Pollen carried to the stigma | Anther to stigma |
| Pollen tube | Grows from the pollen grain to the ovule | Down the style |
| Fertilisation | Male and female gamete nuclei fuse into a zygote | Inside the ovule Transfer is pollination; fusion is fertilisation. |
Watch out for (3)
- Taking every flower as bisexual→ Parts of a flower, bisexual and unisexual flowers
- Calling the transfer of a gamete fertilisation→ Pollination and fertilisation
- Blaming the way pollen arrived→ Pollination and fertilisation
Reference tables (2)
Reproductive organs and sex hormones4 rows
| Organ | Makes | Hormone |
|---|---|---|
| Testes (male) | Sperms | Testosterone Testosterone from the testes, oestrogen from the ovaries: never the other way. |
| Seminal vesicles and prostate | Alkaline fluid that carries and protects sperms | None |
| Ovaries (female) | Eggs | Oestrogen (from the growing follicle) |
| Corpus luteum (in the ovary, after ovulation) | Nothing new; it is the empty follicle | Progesterone |
Methods of contraception6 rows
| Method | Kind | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Condom | Mechanical (barrier) | Stops sperms reaching the egg The only method here that also guards against sexually transmitted diseases. |
| Spermicidal cream | Chemical | Kills sperms |
| Oral pill | Hormonal | Stops the release of eggs |
| Copper-T | Intrauterine device | Placed in the uterus |
| Vasectomy | Surgical (men) | Vas deferens cut and tied |
| Tubectomy | Surgical (women) | Oviducts cut and tied |
Watch out for (4)
- Swapping the sex hormones→ Reproductive organs and sex hormones
- Fertilisation in the uterus→ Reproductive organs and sex hormones
- Giving the corpus luteum oestrogen's job→ Reproductive organs and sex hormones
- Vasectomy and tubectomy swapped→ Methods of contraception
Question weightage by concept
4 concepts · 7 questions — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
Question weightage by concept
4 concepts · 7 questions — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pollination and fertilisation | 2 | 29% |
| Parts of a flower, bisexual and unisexual flowers | 1 | 14% |
| Concept | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reproductive organs and sex hormones | 3 | 43% |
| Methods of contraception | 1 | 14% |
Test yourself on a real paper
Sit a past SPI paper, timed and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.