Question

What is pollination? How does it occur in plants? How does pollination lead to fertilization? Explain

Answer 1

Pollination:

The transfer of pollen grains from a flower's anther to the stigma of another flower is pollination.

Occurrence:

Pollination occurs with the help of many agents known as pollinating agents. The most common pollinating agents are wind, water, insects, animals, and humans.

Role of pollination in fertilization:

1. Fertilization is the fusion of the male gamete with the female gamete to form a diploid zygote which later develops into an individual organism.
2. The pollen grains are deposited over a stigma through pollination, where it absorbs water and nutrients and germinates to give rise to a tubular structure called a pollen tube.
3. This tube then extends through the entire style and penetrates the ovule through the micropylar end.
4. After penetrating, it releases its gametes into the embryo sac, where one male gamete fuses with the egg cell, thereby creating a zygote (fertilization).