Sexual Reproduction In Flowering Plants

QUESTIONS

1. What is apomixis and what is its importance?

Reproduction by special sporophytic or gametophytic generative tissues
without fertilization (fusion of male and female gamete) is known as apomixis.It
is a mode of asexual reproduction in flowering plants and hence produce
clones, not variations. Apomictic seed production in hybrid plants allows
commercial use of hybrid seeds without conducting hybridization again and
again.

2. Mention two strategies evolved in flowers to prevent self-pollination in flowers.

Self-incompatibility: A condition wherein the pollen is ineffective in fertilizing
the same flower or other flowers on the same plant usually due to inhibition of
the growth of the pollen tube in the stigma and style, thereby preventing
delivery of male gametes to the ovules.
Maturation of pistil before that of stamen (protogyny) or maturation of stamen
before that of the pistil (protandry) inhibit self-pollination.

3. Name the parts of an angiospermic flower in which development of male and

female gametophyte take place.
Pollen is the first cell of male gametophyte while ovule represents female
gametophyte. Development of male and female gametophytes takes place in
anther and ovary, respectively.

4. What is self-incompatibility? Why does self-pollination not lead to seed

formation in self-incompatible species?
Self-incompatibility is a condition where pollen is not able to fertilize the same
flower or other flowers on the same plant due to inhibition of the growth of the
pollen tube in the stigma and style, thereby preventing delivery of male
gametes to the ovules. The absence of fusion of male and female gamete leads
to no seed formation in these plants.

5. Arrange the following terms in the correct developmental sequence: Pollen

grain, sporogenous tissue, microspore tetrad, pollen mother cell, male
gametes.
Each microsporangium has inner sporogenous tissue that differentiates into
microspore/pollen mother cell, they first undergo mitotic divisions to increase
 the cell number. The sporogenous cells are diploid and have two complete sets
of chromosomes. These diploid cells undergo meiosis to produce four haploid
microspores/pollen grains (B) that remain suspended in central of each
microsporangium. Pollen grain is the first cell of male gametophyte wherein
male gamete develops. The correct sequence is sporogenous tissue, pollen
mother cell, microspore tetrad, pollen grain and male gamete.

6. What is triple fusion? Where and how does it take place? Name the nuclei
involved in triple fusion.

Fusion of male gamete with diploid secondary nucleus/central cell to form triploid
primary endosperm nucleus is called as triple fusion as it involves three nuceli. It
takes place in embryo sac during double fertilization. Two polar nuclei and male
gamete are involved in it.

7. What is meant by emasculation? When and why does a plant breeder employ
this technique?

The process of removal of anthers from the flower is called as emasculation. It

is done before dehiscence to prevent contamination of stigma with any
undesired pollen and to ensure cross-pollination by desired pollens.
Emasculation is useful in artificial hybridization to pollinate stigma with
selected emasculated pollens only.

8. Differentiate between microsporogenesis and megasporogenesis. Which type

of cell division occurs during these events? Name the structures formed at the
end of these two events.
Microsporogensis involves meiosis in microspore/pollen mother cells to
produce microspores/pollen grains tetrads that remain suspended in central of
each microsporangium. Pollen mother cells are present in each
microsporangium of anther.
Megasporogenesis includes meiosis in megaspore mother cell of ovule to form
megaspore tetrad out of which one megapore is functional.

Meiosis occurs during both megasporogenesis and microsporogenesis to

prodduce haploid male and female gametes. Microsporogenesis forms haploid
microspores while megasporogenesis forms haploid megaspores.