Question
What is the role of the pollen tube in plant fertilisation?
The correct answer is
To transport the male germ cell to the female germ cell
Pollen Tube Role in Plant Fertilisation
The pollen tube plays a vital role in plant fertilisation by acting as a conduit.
- After a compatible pollen grain lands on the stigma, it germinates.
- A pollen tube grows from the pollen grain, extending down through the style towards the ovule within the ovary.
- This tube carries the two male germ cells (sperm cells) present inside the pollen grain.
- The pollen tube penetrates the ovule and releases the male germ cells to fertilise the female gamete (egg cell) and the central cell.
Therefore, the primary function of the pollen tube is the transport of the male germ cell to the site of the female germ cell for fertilisation.
Analysis of Options
- Option 1: Incorrect. Male germ cells are produced within the pollen grain before the tube grows.
- Option 2: Correct. This accurately describes the pollen tube's function of delivering male gametes.
- Option 3: Incorrect. Zygote formation is the result of fertilization, not the direct role of the pollen tube itself.
- Option 4: Incorrect. Transporting pollen grains to the stigma is pollination, which precedes pollen tube formation.
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Important Questions from Reproduction in Plants
Sporophyte stage is dominant in which plant group?
Types of cells in 2 celled pollen grains are ________.
Flowers are a fascinating organ of Angiosperms. Flowers are considered the object of aesthetic, ornamental, social and cultural value. Biologically flower is a ________.
In case of flowering plants, after fertilisation, the zygote divides several times to form an embryo within the _______.
The Generative Cell of the pollen grain divides to form -
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