Pollen tube

growth and
Double
fertilization
Contents

01 Floral structures
(introductory)

02 Pollen tube: Development &

Growth

03
Double fertilization
 Floral structures (introductory)
• A flower is the structure, composed of highly
modified leaves, that is responsible for sexual
reproduction.
• At the center of a typical flower is the pistil, which
is composed of the stigma, style, and ovary. The
ovary produces the female gametophyte plant.
• Surrounding the pistil are the stamens, which
consist of a long filament with anthers at the top.
The anther produces the pollen (male gametophyte
plant).
• Petals are a whorl of modified leaves surrounding
the stamens and pistil. In many flowering plants,
the petals are large and showy.
Flower of the Digitalis purpurea (foxglove).
• Outside the petals is another whorl of modified (Left).
leaves, known as sepals. 1. Ovary
2. Style
3. Stigma
4. Filaments
5. Anthers
 Pollen tube: development & growth

• While the female gametophyte is developing,

a similar but less complex process takes place
A mature megagametophyte
of a lily.
in the anthers: every microspore develops
into an immature male gametophyte, also
called pollen grain.
• The male gametophyte is the pollen, the
female gametophyte is found within the
ovary of the pistil and consists only eight
cells. One of the cells is an egg cell.
A. Six anthers, each
• When the pollen is mature, the anthers split
containing microspores,
surrounding central
open and begin to shed pollen grains.
ovary in Lilium sp. • Pollen grains are extremely small, each
B. Enlargement of anther
to show microspores, consists of two cells:
which will eventually
become pollen grains. 1. The tube cell, or vegetative cell
2. And the smaller generative cell
• A variety of agents, including
wind, water, insects, and other
animal pollinators transfer pollen
grains to stigma.
• If the pollen grain lands of a
suitable flower, it germinates; that
is the tube cell forms a pollen tube.
• Pollen tube grows down the style
and into the ovary.
• The germinated pollen grain with
its pollen tube is the mature male
gametophyte.
• How does the pollen tube «know»
where to grow? Botanist have
found that molecular signals from
the ovule guide the growing pollen
tube toward the ovule.

Upper right: Location of the pollen tubes, lower right: Pollen grain (Malva).
Left: Pollen tube growth.
 Double fertilization
• Double fertilization follows pollination and begins
when pollen tube has grown through the
microphyle.
• As the pollen tube enters the embryo sac, it
destroys a synergid and then discharges its
contents.
• The pollen tube releases two sperm. Each will
fertilize a cell.
• One fertilizes the egg nucleus and gives rise to the
zygote. The other sperm nucleus combines with two
other nuclei in the female gametophyte and
produces a triploid nucleus, which develops into
endosperm.
• The endosperm is the stored food of the seed.
• Both the embryo and endosperm grow, and a seed Upper left and right: Mature embryo sac and
coat develops around them to produce mature seed. fertilization of a lily. Lower left and right:
• The wall of the ovary develops into a specialized fertilised ovule and young fruit of a
dicotyledon Phaseolus vulgaris (bean).
seed containing structure known as a fruit.
Life cycle of a soybean
 References
• Plant Anatomy: A Concept-Based
Approach to the Structure of Seed
Plants R.Crang, S.Sobaski, R.Wise.
• A colour atlas of plant structure
B.Bowes
• Stern’s Introductory Plant Biology
J.Bidlack, S.Jansky
• Raven Biology of Plants R.Evert
• Concepts in Biology E.Enger, F.Ross, D.
Bailey
• Raven Biology K.Mason, J.Losos,
S.Singer
Additional: Video