Fertilization
/ˌfɝtəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
Definition
Fertilization in plants refers to the biological process in which a male gamete from pollen fuses with a female gamete inside the ovule after pollination. In flowering plants, this happens in the ovary and usually includes double fertilization, where one sperm forms the embryo and another helps form endosperm, the tissue that nourishes the developing seed. This differs from pollination, which is only the transfer of pollen.
Role in Plant Biology
- Seed and fruit set: In flowering plants, fertilization triggers embryo development and usually starts seed formation. It also helps stimulate the ovary to develop into fruit in many species.
- Double fusion in angiosperms: A second fusion event forms endosperm, the food-storing tissue that nourishes the developing embryo. This process is a key feature of angiosperms, or flowering plants.
- Genetic combination: By combining genetic material from two parent cells, fertilization creates new gene combinations. That variation shapes traits such as flower color, vigor, and disease resistance in offspring.
- Barrier to reproduction: If pollen is incompatible, nonviable, or blocked before reaching the ovule, fertilization does not occur and seeds fail to form. This is one reason some plants need a compatible second variety nearby for reliable crops.
Related Terms
Pollination
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male part of a flower, the anther, to the female part, the stigma, of…
Pollen
Pollen is a fine, powdery substance made in the anthers of seed plants. It consists of tiny grains that carry the male…
Gamete
Gamete refers to a plant reproductive cell with one set of chromosomes, called haploid. In seed plants, the male gamete…
Zygote
Zygote refers to the single diploid cell formed when two haploid sex cells fuse during fertilization in plants. In…
Ovule
Ovule is the seed-producing structure inside a flower’s ovary, or on the scales of cones in gymnosperms. It contains…
Ovary
Ovary refers to the enlarged basal part of a flower’s pistil, or female reproductive structure, that contains one or…