UGHSS

CLASS XII
2073
Structure of a typical flower

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Self Pollination
Autogamy – transfer of pollen grains from anther of a bisexual flower to
its stigma. Both stamens and carpel mature at the same time.
Geitonogamy – flowers could be uni or bisexual borne on the same plant.
Chasogamic – flowers that open before pollination
Cleistogamic- flowers that open after pollination & fetilization
Self pollination occurs by following methods
1. Homogamy – flower where anthers and stigma mature simultaneously
Direct homogamy – accomplished by growing both male and female
parts together even either bending or folding e.g. Mirabilis.
Indirect homogamy – without coming in direct contact between anther
and carpel, rain and gravity forces are involved e.g. Caltha & Lilac.
2. Cleistogamy – occurs in bisexual flowers which are always closed causing
always self pollination e.g. Groundnut (underground flower)
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Advantages of Self Pollination:
• It maintains the parental characters or purity of the race indefinitely.
• Self pollination is used to maintain pure lines for hybridization experiments.
• The plant does not need to produce large number of pollen grains.
• Flowers do not develop devices for attracting insect pollinators.
• It ensures seed production.
• Self pollination eliminates some bad recessive characters.

Disadvantages
• New useful characters are seldom introduced.
• Vigour and vitality of the race decreases with prolonged self pollination.
• Immunity to diseases decreases.
• Variability and hence adaptability to changed environment are reduced.

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Contrivances (Devices) to Ensure Self Pollination:

1. Flowers are bisexual and both sexes mature at

the same time (homogamy).

2. In some cases, flowers are bisexual and

cleistogamous, i.e., remain closed.

3. Pollination occurs in bud condition before the

opening (anthesis) of flower.

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Cross Pollination

Transfer of pollen grains from the anther of one flower to the carpel of genetically
different flower. It can not happen on its own so different agents are required to
perform it like wind, water and animals.

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Anemophily – by wind; maize, rice, birch.
Plants grow in large group, many and
small flowers grow above the foliage;
devoid of color, odor & nectar. Very small
pollen grains produced in very large
number on exposed flowers. Anthers are
versatile; stigma are sticky, hairy or even
feathery.
Entomophily – insect pollinated;
specialized mode of pollination. Flowers
visited by varieties of insects in search
food and carry out pollination. Flowers
are brightly colored with odor& nectar;
sticky pollen & stigma. Jasmine, Rose,
Salvia, Mustard etc.
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Anemophilous flowers

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Characteristics of Anemophilous Flowers:
• Flowers are small and inconspicuous. Non-essential parts are either absent or
reduced.
• The flowers are colourless, odourless and nectarless.
• In case of unisexual flowers, the male flowers are more abundant. In bisexual
flowers, the stamens are generally numerous. Pistil are generally uniovuled.
• Flowers are produced above the foliage, before the appearance of new foliage or
placed in hanging position.
• Both the stigmas and anthers are protruding.
• Anthers are versatile.
• In some cases like Urtica, the anthers are explosive.
• Pollen grains are light, small and winged or dusty. They can be blown by wind to
considerable distances. Winged pollen grains of Pinus are found hundreds of
kilometres away from the parent plants.
• Pollen grains are dry smooth, nonsticky and unwettable.
• Stigma is hairy, feathery or branched to catch the wind-borne pollen grains.
• The large thread-like stigmas and styles of cob of Maize hang in air to catch wind
borne pollens.
• Anemophily is highly wasteful as it is nondirectional.

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Characteristics of Entomophilous Flowers:
Flowers are coloured for attracting pollinating insects. Moths visit whitish flowers,
butterflies and wasps reddish flowers, bees are attracted towards blue, purple-
violet and yellow flowers. Bees seldom visit red flowers. The various traits of ento-
mophilous flowers are:
• They are showy or brightly coloured.
• The small flowers become conspicuous by their grouping, e.g., head in
Sunflower.
• Most insect pollinated flowers have a landing platform.
• Some flowers have structural peculiarities to get pollinated by particular types
of insects.
• In many cases special markings occur on the petals for guiding the insect to
nectar glands.
• The flowers produce an odour which may be pleasant (e.g., Jasmine) or foul
(e.g., Arum). Foul smell attracts flies and beetles. Odour of Rafflesia attracts
Carrion flies (Fly trap mechanism).
• Nectar is secreted for feeding the visiting insects.
• Edible pollens are produced by Rosa, Clematis, Magnolia, etc.
• The pollen grains are spiny, heavy and surrounded by a yellow oily sticky
substance called pollenkit.
• Stigmas are often inserted and sticky.
• Some flowers provide safe place to insects for laying eggs, e.g., Yucca, MD
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Ornithophily – bird pollinated; sunbirds , humming birds, bulbul, parrots; flowers
are brightly colored, attractive, abundant of nectar, floral parts are leathers e.g.
Simal, Coral tree, Lobelia etc.

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Characteristics of bird pollinated flowers:
The omithophilous flowers secrete abundant watery nectar or have edible parts,

The nectar is secreted in such abundance that drops of it can be brought down by
shaking branches of Grevillea and Erythrina. Nectar is mainly made of sugar. A
humming bird may suck nectar in a single day in such quantity as to have sugar
equivalent to half of its body weight,

Omithophilous flowers are usually brightly colored— red, orange, yellow or blue,

The floral parts are commonly leathery. In some cases, the corolla is funnel-
shaped.

Scent is often absent.

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 Chiropterophily – pollination by bats; flowers are large with long stalk, dull
colored with strong odor, abundant nectar and pollen grains e.g. Kadam,
Banana. Ketuki etc.

It is cross pollination performed by bats.

Bats are nocturnal flying mammals which
can transport pollen over long distance,
sometimes over 30 km.

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Malacophily

Snails perform pollination in Arisaema (Snake or Cobra Plant) and some arum
lilies.

Artificial Pollination (Anthophily)

In all breeding programmes, the plants are hand pollinated to ensure cross
pollination between selected varieties. Date Palm has been under artificial
pollination since times immemorial.

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Could this pollinating drone replace butterflies and bees?
Pollinators around the world are in trouble: A recent report puts 40% of
the smallest ones—like butterflies and bees—at risk of extinction.
Eijiro Miyako, of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science
and Technology, in Tsukuba, Japan.
Elsewhere, scientists are working on genetically modified cyborg
dragonflies that can be controlled by humans, and they say the
technology could potentially be used on bees as well.
Hydrophily – by means of water;
occurs only in aquatic plants, e.g.
Lemna, Vallisneria, Ceratophyllum
etc. Could be Hypohrdrophily
(under water pollination) or
Epihydrophily (above the water
surface).

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Other small mammal pollination – e.g. Possum, monkey, squirrel etc.

Honey Possum
Squirrel Elephant shrew

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Advantages of cross pollination
• Undesired characters can be removed and desired characters can be added.
• Produces useful and new varieties.
• Produces more robust plants for new environments.
• Seeds are more vigorous or develops hybrid vigour.
• Ensures seed production.

Disadvantages
• It depends on external agencies
• Some very good characters are likely to be lost and undesired characters
may be gained.
• It is highly wasteful because plants have to produce a larger number of
pollen grains and other accessory structures in order to suit the various
pollinating agencies.
• A factor of chance is always involved in cross pollination.

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Most bizarre insect pollinated plant by a wasp.

Ophrys insectifera
https://bloomingplants.wordpress.com/2014/07/10/weird_pollination/ MD
 Rafflesia arnoldii

Amorphophallus titanum (Titan Arum)

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