Question

What are synergids?

Answer 1

Synergids:

1. Synergids are two specialized cells lying adjacent to the egg cell in the female gametophyte of a flowering plant (angiosperms).
2. The term synergid comes from the Greek word “synergos,” which means “working together” and was coined by Eduard Strasburger, a botanist who was one of the first to note that these cells somehow assist in the fertilization of the egg.

Role of Synergids:

1. They are helpful in the nourishment of the ovum as well as guide the entry of pollen tube and the release of sperm cells.
2. After a pollen grain germinates on the surface of the stigma, it forms a pollen tube that grows through the style and is guided through the micropyle (a minute opening at one end of the ovule).
3. The pollen tube grows toward and enters one of the synergid cells, which then begins to degenerate as the pollen tube enters it.
4. The pollen tube then ceases growth, ruptures, and releases its two sperm cells, which migrate to the egg and central cell, fertilization of which gives rise to the embryo and endosperm, respectively.
5. The synergid cells are necessary for pollen tube guidance in the ovule and are also essential to stop the growth of the pollen tube and release of the sperm cells.