Fruit Dissection

By dissecting a variety of fruits, students can explore their internal and external structures, recognize similarities among them, and connect these observations to plant reproduction and their origins as flowers.

1. Gather several types of fruits, such as apples, peppers, beans, corn, cucumbers, and pomegranates.
2. Examine the outer structures of each fruit and note any common features.
3. Cut each fruit open and observe the internal structures with a hand lens or microscope.
4. Look for patterns of symmetry and the arrangement of seeds.
5. Record observations by drawing and describing the structures.
6. If available, compare the fruit structures to a dissected flower to identify similarities.

Introduction to Biology - Fruit Dissection Introduction - Lab Rat Academy:

📄 Fruit Dissection - Exploratorium: https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/fruit-dissection

• Dissect the same fruit in different directions (for example, slice an apple crosswise and lengthwise).
• Compare multiple fruits from the same plant family.
• Follow the fruit dissection with seed dissections to observe the plant embryo inside.

• Use knives with care and under adult supervision.
• Perform dissections on a stable cutting board.
• Wash hands after handling fruits to avoid contamination.

• What similarities do you notice between different fruits? (Many share seeds, symmetry, and remnants of floral structures.)
• How do the number and arrangement of seeds relate to the flowers they came from? (Fruits with many seeds come from flowers with many ovules; radially arranged seeds indicate radial flower symmetry.)
• Why are some foods we call vegetables actually considered fruits by botanists? (Because they develop from flowers and contain seeds.)
• How does the structure of corn provide evidence of its floral origin? (Each kernel is an ovule connected to a silk strand, which once received pollen for fertilization.)