Reproduction in flowering

plants
12th class
 Structure of Pollen grain (male gametophyte)

Germ pore

Palynology :- Study of pollen grains EXINE INTINE

Shape :- Spherical 1. Outer wall 1. Inner wall
Size :- 25-50 um in diameter 2. Thick, rigid and ornamented. 2. Thin, soft and elastic.
3. Made up of sporopollenin. 3. Made up of pectin and
Pollen grain is surrounded by 2 layers :-
4. At few places exine is absent cellulose or pecto-cellulose.
1. Exine or present in thin layer –
2. Intine called as germ pores. 4. Intine layer is continuous.
• In a pollen grain , at few places exine is usually absent or present in form of thin layer.
• These places or prominent apertures are called as germ pores.
• Tricolpate :- 3 germ pores in pollen grain.
e.g. Dicots (Capsella)

• Monocolpate :- 1 germ pore

e.g. Monocots.

• The intine comes out through any one germ pore during the germination of pollen grain in
form of pollen tube.

• The number of germ pore, structure and ornamentation of exine is a feature of taxonomy.
 Pollen grains

• Exine exhibits fascinating arrays of pattern and designs .

 Sporopollenin

• Exine layer is made up of sporopollenin.

• Most resistant organic material.
• Non-biodegradable.
• It can withstand high temperatures, strong acids and alkali.
• No enzyme can degrade sporopollenin.
• Pollen grains are well preserved as fossils because of presence of sporopollenin.
• By presence of fossils of pollen grains one can forecast the presence of natural resources
like petroleum, coal etc. in earth.
 EXINE
VEGETATIVE CELL
INTINE

POLLEN KITT
GENERATIVE CELL

❖ Entomophilous Plants :- In which pollination takes place by insects.

• In entomophilous plants, pollen grain is surrounded by oily layer called as Pollen Kitt.
• Pollen kitt is composed of lipids or carotenoids. e.g. Capsella
❖ Functions of Pollen Kitt
1. Oily layer (carotenoids) protects the pollen grain from harmful UV-rays.
2. Its sticky surface helps to attach with insects.
3. Yellow colour attracts insects.
 Facts about pollen grains
Translator apparatus
Pollen grains together form a bag like
structure called as Pollinium.

e.g. COAT
Calotropis (Asclepiadaceae)
Orchidaceae
 AERO-ALLERGENS

• Pollen grains of many species which are present in air cause allergy and bronchial afflictions
– called as “Aero-allergens”.

CAPS
C – Chenopodium
A – Amaranthus
P – Parthenium (carrot grass)
S – Sorghum

• Hay fever is an allergic reaction to airborne substances, such as pollen.

• Caused by pollens of Ambrosia.
• Aero allergens can also cause chronic respiratory disorders like asthma and bronchitis.
Parthenium that came into India as a contaminant with imported wheat has become
ubiquitous occurrence and cause pollen allergy.
 Pollen tablets and syrups

• Pollen grains are rich in nutrients.

• Pollen grains are used in form of tablets and syrups as food supplements
(available in market).
• Pollen consumption has been claimed to increase the performance of athletes
and race horses.
 POLLEN BANKS

• Similar to seed banks.

• Pollen grains are stored for years in liquid nitrogen (-196 °C)
• Applications :-
• 1) Pollen banks help in storing pollen grains for years for crop breeding
programmes.
• where pollen grains of a desired species can be preserved as genetic resource for breeding program
Largest pollen :- Mirabilis
Smallest pollen :- Myosotis.
Longest pollen :- Zostera (Sea grasses)

Cyperaceae family :- only one functional pollen grain is formed from a pollen mother cell e.g. Cyperus
 Androecium

Lobe 1
Lobe 2
Male reproductive organ that consist of whorl of stamens.
Stamen is equivalent to microsporophyll.
(Fertile)
In Capsella – 6 stamens (4 long and 2 short)
Tetradynamous condition

Stamen consist of two parts :- (Sterile)

1. Filament :- long, thin
2. Anther :- bilobed
Proximal end
• Anther and filament joined by connective tissue.
• 2 lobes of anther are also attached by connective tissue. attach to
• Connective tissue contains xylem and phloem.
Petal or Thalamus

If proximal end of petal attach to petal then it is called as Epipetalous.

 ANTHER WALL (4 different walls)

T.S. Connective

Stomium
Microsporangia Pollen sac

Microspores Pollen grains

LOBE 1
LOBE 2

T.S. of Anther

In Transverse section of Anther :- A typical Anther i.e. Capsella is

• Anther appear almost Tetragonal (4 sided) 1. Tetrasporangiate ( 4 microsporangia)

• Microsporangium appear circular. 2. Bilobed (2 lobes in an anther)
3. Dithecous (each lobe contain 2 microsporangia)
 Lobes Sporangia Example

2 4 Capsella
Dithecous Tetrasporangiate Monothecous
Tetrasporangiate

Deviation

1 2 Malvaceae
Monothecous Bisporangiate Monothecous
Bisporangiate
1 1 Arceuthobium
Monothecous Monosporangiate Monothecous
Monosporangiate
Structure (T.S.) of young Anther
Connective

2n
Epidermis (1)
2n
Endothecium (1)
Anther wall
Middle layer (1-3) 2n

Tapetum (1) Polyploid

Sporogenous tissue (2n)

1 MMC Meiosis 4 Microspores

(PMC) (n)
Develop into

(Pollen grains) (n)

 Free Nuclear Division :- result in binucleated or multinucleated cell

Free-nuclear division refers to complete karyokinesis where cytokinesis doesn't occur.

Binucleated cell Multinucleated cell

Endomitosis :- result in polyploid cell

2n 4n
Microsporangium is generally surrounded by four different wall layers :-

• Epidermis
• Endothecium
• Middle layer
• Tapetum

1) Epidermis
• Living cell
• Outermost layer of anther.
• Single celled thick layer
• Function :- Protection.
2) Endothecium :- Fibrous layer due to presence of cellulose fibres.
• Present below epidermis Callose :-
It is a plant polysaccharide.
• Outer wall – Thin
Polymer of β 1, 3 glucan
• Radial wall – Thick, contain α-Cellulose fibres and callose bands.
• Inner wall – Thick, contain α-Cellulose fibres.
• Endothecium layer is hygroscopic due to presence of α-Cellulose fibres.
• Hygroscopic is the property of absorbing moisture from the air.

• Function :- Outer wall

• Dehiscence of anther.
Radial wall

Inner wall
Endothecium layer cells
Sunlight cause
water loss.

Shrink due to water loss

 Epidermis

Endothecium

Middle layers

Tapetum

Sporogenous tissue

Stomium :-
• In this region endothecium cells do not contain callose bands and α-Cellulose fibres.
• so it is an area of thin-walled cells in an anther that breaks to release pollen grains
(Dehiscence of Anther)
3) Middle layer
• Consist of parenchymatous cells
• 1-3 layered.
• Ephemeral layer (short lived)
• Absent in mature anther.
❖ Function :-
1) Protection
2) Store food and supply stored food to tapetum.

4) Tapetum :- Main nutritive layer

• Single layered.
• Innermost wall layer
• Absent in mature anther
• Tapetum Cell features :- dense cytoplasm, Polyploid, Multinucleated
• Cells of tapetum are initially diploid but later they become polyploid and multinucleate due
to endomitosis and nuclear division respectively.
❖ Before degeneration of cells of tapetum

1. Tapetal cells in their cytoplasm synthesize special granules called Proubisch bodies.
2. Proubisch bodies extrude from tapetal cytoplasm towards microsporangia.
3. Once the pro-Ubisch bodies have been extruded from tapetal cytoplasm into space
between the tapetal membrane and tapetal cell wall they rapidly become coated with
sporopollenin and are now called Ubisch-bodies or orbicules.
4. Ubisch bodies then move into the microsporangia and participate in formation of exine.
 Function of Tapetum

1. Provide nutrition to developing pollens (PMC or MMC)

• Tapetum absorbs food from middle layer and provides nutrition to PMC (MMC) and
developing pollen grains.
• When pollen grains gets matured both tapetum and middle layer gets degenerated and in
matured anther only 2 anther wall layers (epidermis and endothecium) are present.
2. Secretion of sporopollenin.

3. Formation of Ubisch bodies (Pro-Ubisch bodies + sporopollenin = Ubisch bodies)

4. Secretion of enzymes (callase) and hormones (IAA)

5. Secretion of pollen kitt substances.

 Previous year board Questions
1 marks questions
Q1. Draw diagram of a matured microscope of an angiosperm. Label its cellular components
only. (CBSE 2014)

Q2. give an example of plant which came into India as a contaminant and is a cause of pollen
allergy. (CBSE 2014)

Q3. The microscopic pollen grains of the past are obtained as fossils. Mention the
characteristic of pollen grains that makes it happen. (CBSE Delhi 2009)

Q4. why do pollen grains of some flowers trigger sneezing in some people ? (CBSE 2012)

Q5. A bilobed, Dithecous anther has 100 microspore mother cells per microsporangium. How
many male gametophytes this anther can produce ? (CBSE 2013)

Q6. how many microspore mother cells would be required to produce one hundred pollen in a
pollen sac ? And why ?
 2 marks questions
Q1. Explain
giving two reasons why pollen grains can be best preserved as fossils (CBSE
DELHI 2010)

Q2. Name the organic materials the exine and intine of an angiosperm pollen grains are
made up of. Explain role of exine. (CBSE DELHI 2014)

Q3. Where is sporopollenin present in plants ? State its significance with reference to its
chemical nature (CBSE 2012)
3 marks questions

Q1. (a) Name the organic material exine of pollen grain is made up of. How is this material
advantageous to pollen grain ?
(b) Still it is observed that it does not form a continuous layer around the pollen grain.
Give reason.
(c) How are pollen banks useful ? (CBSE 2016)

Q2 why are anthers called Dithecous ? Describe the structure of its microsporangium . CBSE
2014)
Microsporogenesis :-

❑ The process of formation of microspores from pollen mother cell through meiosis is called
microsporogenesis.
1. Sporogenous cell develop into PMC or MMC.
2. 1 pollen mother cell (PMC) or microspore mother cell (MMC) undergoes meiosis and gives
4 haploid microspores.
3. 4 microspores are attached together with the help of callose layer.
4. Tapetum secrete callase enzyme which degrades callose layer.
5. During this period Ubisch bodies enter inside pollen sac (microsporangia)
6. Ubisch bodies participate in formation of exine of microspores inside the pollen sacs.
7. When exine is formed by Ubisch bodies as outer layer of microspores
8. Then these microspores which are surrounded by exine are called as pollen grains.
 Deposition of Callose layer
callose layer

Sporogenous cell Pollen mother cell (2n)

(2n)
Meiosis

Callose layer

Microspore tetrad (n)

Tapetum secretes callase enzyme which degrade callose layer

(n) (n)

Ubisch bodies
4 pollen grains participate in
having exine Callose dissolved and 4 microspores are separated.
formation of exine
and intine (n)
(n)
 Development of Anther
1. In initial stages, anther is a mass of meristematic cells which is surrounded by epidermis.

2. First of all vascular tissues are formed in middle region.

3. Group of cells which are located just below the epidermis in vertical rows of hypodermal region at
four corners become large. These cells are called as Archesporial cells.

4. Archesporial cells divide periclinally to form primary parietal cells and primary Sporogenous cells.

5. Primary parietal cells – periclinal and anticlinal division – series of 3 -5 layers making the walls of
anther – endothecium, middle layers and tapetum.

6. Primary Sporogenous cells – divide by mitotic divisions to form Sporogenous cells or tissues, later
Sporogenous cells differentiate into MMC.