The document summarizes the processes of pollen and ovule production, fertilization, and prevention of inbreeding in flowering plants. It describes how pollen grains contain nuclei that divide, are released from anthers, and germinate tubes that penetrate styles and ovules. Within ovules, embryo sacs form with nuclei that fuse to create eggs and endosperm. Pollen tubes deliver sperm to fertilize eggs and form seeds, while cross-pollination between plants promotes variability over self-pollination. Various plant sexual structures and timing of maturation also prevent inbreeding.
The document summarizes the processes of pollen and ovule production, fertilization, and prevention of inbreeding in flowering plants. It describes how pollen grains contain nuclei that divide, are released from anthers, and germinate tubes that penetrate styles and ovules. Within ovules, embryo sacs form with nuclei that fuse to create eggs and endosperm. Pollen tubes deliver sperm to fertilize eggs and form seeds, while cross-pollination between plants promotes variability over self-pollination. Various plant sexual structures and timing of maturation also prevent inbreeding.
The document summarizes the processes of pollen and ovule production, fertilization, and prevention of inbreeding in flowering plants. It describes how pollen grains contain nuclei that divide, are released from anthers, and germinate tubes that penetrate styles and ovules. Within ovules, embryo sacs form with nuclei that fuse to create eggs and endosperm. Pollen tubes deliver sperm to fertilize eggs and form seeds, while cross-pollination between plants promotes variability over self-pollination. Various plant sexual structures and timing of maturation also prevent inbreeding.
The document summarizes the processes of pollen and ovule production, fertilization, and prevention of inbreeding in flowering plants. It describes how pollen grains contain nuclei that divide, are released from anthers, and germinate tubes that penetrate styles and ovules. Within ovules, embryo sacs form with nuclei that fuse to create eggs and endosperm. Pollen tubes deliver sperm to fertilize eggs and form seeds, while cross-pollination between plants promotes variability over self-pollination. Various plant sexual structures and timing of maturation also prevent inbreeding.
mother cells each of which divides meiotically to give a tetrad of pollen grain These four cells later separate Each young grain has one nucleus but this divides into two One of these surrounded by denser cytoplasm forms the generative cell and this later gives rise to the male gametes, the other forms the tube nucleus The pollen grain has a double wall, a delicate inner one of cellulose (the intine) and an outer one of variable thickness (the exine) Pollen grains vary in shape and size from 3-300 micro meter They are liberated by the longitudinal rupture of the anther lobe together with the breakdown of the wall between each pair of sacs. Structure and development of an ovule One cell of the nucellus becomes enlarged and is known as the embryo sac mother cell This divides meiotically to give four cells, three of which are crushed as the remaining one enlarges to form the embryo sac
The single nucleus within the embryo sac
divides mitotically and the two nuclei move to opposite ends of the sac Each of the two nuclei divides mitotically twice so that there are four haploid nuclei at each end of the sac One nucleus from each end moves to the centre and then fuse to form the primary endosperm nucleus (central fusion nucleus) The three remaining at the micropyle end form the egg apparatus and the three at the other end form the antipodal cells Fertilisation As the female gamete in angiosperms is protected within the carpel, the male gamete can only reach it via the pollen tube which provides a channel of entry and protection for the male nuclei The pollen grain germinates within a few minutes of landing on the stigma and the pollen tube pushes between the loosely packed cells of the style The entire contents of the pollen grain move into the tube, the tube (vegetative) nucleus moving first
Callose plugs block the older, empty parts of
the tube as it grows. The pollen tube may secrete pectase to soften the middle lamella of the cells of the style and the growth towards the microplyle is thought to be chemotropically controlled. The normal mode of entry to the ovule is through the micropyle The pollen tube contains three nuclei, the tube nucleus and two male gametes derived from the generative nucleus, which keep near the tip as growth proceeds When the pollen tube penetrates the embryo sac, one nucleus fuses with the egg cell and the other with the primary endosperm nucleus. Since this second fusion involves three nuclei it is called triple fusion The fertilized egg (oosphere) gives rise to the embryo and the fertilized primary endosperm nucleus to the endosperm. In non-endospermic seeds the endosperm is used up to form the cotyledons before the seed is ripe, but in endospermic seeds nuclear and cellular divisions of the fertilized primary endosperm nucleus give rise to an extensive endosperm. Pollination
Cross- pollination: transfer of pollen from the
anther to the stigma of a flower on a different plant of the same species. Although some plants regularly show selfpollination there is a general tendency towards cross-pollination which reduces inbreeding and increases the variability of a population Prevention of
inbreeding
While some plants regularly self-pollinate, most
avoid doing so because such inbreeding reduces variability and leads to loss of vigour Dioecious: condition is which all the flowers on a plant are male or all female. Provided the species is totally dioecious self- pollination is impossible Monoecious: having separate male and female flowers, i.e. the plant is both male and female, but individual flowers are of one sex or the other, never both. This does not prevent self-pollination but makes it less likely. Maize is an example of a monoecious plant Protogyny : A condition in hermaphroditic or dioecious organisms in which the female reproductive structures mature before the male structures.