FromFlowerstoSeeds

     Author: Debbie Swarthout

This video clip is a description of the genetic changes that can occur during the life cycle of flowering plants. The clip was made as a visual aid for instructors and students of introductory plant biology when studying the evolutionary history of plant life on earth. The main objective is to provide a visualization of the main processes that occur during the genetic diversification in the cohort of seed that is produced in each generation. A great emphasis was placed on explaining why alternation of generations in flowering plants brings about genetic variation in the offspring of the next generation of plants. A suitable narration was blended with music and digital art to show the important processes that can occur during seeds germination, flower and seed production. Time-lapse photography was used to show growth and development during germination and flower production of a few plant species. Light micrographs of prepared slides of various anatomical stages of flower development were combined with botanical photographs that were taken on various trips to interesting botanical gardens in South Africa. Water-color painting and digital editing in Adobe Photoshop (Elements version 7.0) were used to link various concepts together as we made our journey through the processes that occur during the sexual reproduction and genetic diversification of the flowering plants. The music pieces were original compositions using a classical guitar and resonator bars.