Gamete
/ˈɡæmiːt/
Definition
Gamete refers to a plant reproductive cell with one set of chromosomes, called haploid. In seed plants, the male gamete is carried in pollen and the female gamete is the egg cell inside the ovule. During fertilization, two gametes fuse to form a zygote with a full chromosome set. This distinguishes a gamete from spores, which can grow into a new generation without fusing.
Role in Plant Biology
- Fusion in fertilization: In seed plants, gamete fusion starts the next generation. This event produces the zygote, which develops into the embryo, and also helps trigger seed formation after successful pollination.
- Separate routes in flowering plants: Male forms develop inside pollen, while female forms develop in the ovule. Their meeting depends on pollen reaching a compatible stigma and growing a pollen tube to the ovule.
- Double fertilization link: In flowering plants, one gamete fuses with the egg and another fuses with the central cell. This second fusion forms endosperm, the tissue that nourishes the developing embryo inside the seed.
- Source of genetic variation: Because each parent contributes one gamete, offspring receive a new combination of genes. That reshuffling supports plant diversity and is central to breeding, selection, and adaptation.
Related Terms
Fertilization
Fertilization in plants refers to the biological process in which a male gamete from pollen fuses with a female gamete…
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…
Ovule
Ovule is the seed-producing structure inside a flower’s ovary, or on the scales of cones in gymnosperms. It contains…
Zygote
Zygote refers to the single diploid cell formed when two haploid sex cells fuse during fertilization in plants. In…
Microspore
Microspore refers to the small spore produced in the male sporangia of seed plants and many other land plants. It is…
Megaspore
Megaspore refers to the larger of the two spore types produced by heterosporous plants and seed plants. It forms inside…