2.2.

3 Pollination

1. Transfer of pollen grains (shed from the anther) to the stigma of a pistil is termed
pollination.

2. Flowering plants have evolved an amazing array of

adaptations to achieve pollination.

3. They make use of external agents to achieve pollination

Q.What are the different kinds of adaptation helps for pollination ?

Can you list the possible external agents?

Kinds of Pollination:Depending on the source of pollen pollination can be divided into three types.

1. Autogamy

2. Geitonogamy

3. Xenogamy
 (i) Autogamy

1. In this type, pollination is achieved within the same flower.

2. Transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma of the same
flower.eg.Oxalis
Factors: Determine the autogamy

▶ Complete autogamy is rather rare.

▶ Can be achieved by the following factors

▶ 1.Synchrony in pollen release and stigma receptivity.

▶ 2.Anther and stigma lie close to each other.

▶ Viola (Common pansy ),Oxalis ,Commelina

▶ These plants produce two types of flowers –

1. chasmogamous flower :
Similar flower like other species with exposed anther and stigma. 2.Cleistogamous flower:

a) Flower do not open at all

b) Anther and stigma lie close to each other.
c) When anther dehisce the pollen in the flower buds, The pollen grain come in contact with stigma
to effect the pollination.

d) Invariably autogamous pollination is present

Result cliestogamous flower produce assured seed set in the absence of

 Questions:What are chasmogamous flower ?

1. Whatis the common Name of Viola ?

2. Do you think cleistogamous flower is advantageous or disadvantageous to the plant ?
3. Can cross pollination occur in cleistogamous flowers ? 5.Pea flowers
produce assured seed set Why? CBSE 2004
ii)Geitonogamous:
▶ Transfer of pollen grains from anther to stigma of another flower of same plant is called geitonogamous.

▶ It is functionally cross pollination because pollinating agents are involving.

▶ But genetically autogamy Since pollen come from same plant.

Question:▶ Why is geitonogamy referred to as genetically autogamy ? CBSE 2010

Xenogamy

Transfer pollen grains from anther stigma of the different.

▶ This pollination brings the genetically different pollen to the stigma.

Question:▶ Differentiate between geitnogamy and Xenogamy.Which one between two lead to inbreeding depression and
why ?CBSE 2011
 Agents of pollination

▶ Factors which help for pollination are called Agents of pollination.

▶ Types of pollinating Agents

▶ a)Abiotic (Wind ,Water ) b) Biotic agents( Animals)

▶ Majority of plant use biotic agents.Only small portion of the plants use abiotic Factors.

▶ Pollen reaching to stigma is a chance factor.

▶ That is why a large amount of pollen grains are produced compare to amount of ovules.

Pollination by wind:▶ Wind pollination is more in abiotic agent Factors need for wind pollination:

a) Light wt
b) Non sticky

c) Well exposed stamens

d) Long feathery stigma to trap pollen
e) Flower may single ovule each ovary But numerous flower packed in to inflorescence.
Eg.Corn cob ,- the tassels are nothing. But stigma and style wave in the wind to trap pollen grains
 Pollination by water

▶ Pollination by water is quite rare in flowering plants.

▶ And is limited to about 30 genera, mostly monocotyledons.

▶ water is a regular mode of transport for the male gametes among the lower plant groups such as algae,
bryophytes and pteridophytes.

▶ some bryophytes and pteridophytes, that their distribution is limited because

of the need for water for the transport of male gametes and fertilization.

▶ Examples:1. Vallisneria and Hydrilla which grow in fresh water.

▶ 2. Marine sea-grasses such as Zostera.

▶ water hyacinth and water lily, the flowers emerge above the level of water
and are pollinated by insects or wind as in most of the land plants.

▶ In Vallisneria, the female flower reach the surface of water by the long stalk and the male flowers or pollen
grains are released on to the surface of water.

▶ seagrasses, female flowers remain submerged in water and the pollen grains are released inside
 the water.

▶ Pollen grains in many such species are long, ribbon like and they are carried passively inside the
water.

▶ some of them reach the stigma and achieve pollination.

▶ In most of the water-pollinated species, pollen grains are protected from

wetting by a mucilaginous covering.

▶ Both wind and water pollinated flowers are not very colourful and do not produce nectar.
What would be the reason for this?

▶ Majority of flowering plants use a range of animals as pollinating agents.

▶ Bees, butterflies, flies, beetles, wasps, ants, moths, birds (sunbirds and
humming birds) and bats are the common pollinating agents.

▶ Among the animals, insects, particularly bees are the dominant biotic pollinating agents.

▶ Even larger animals such as some primates (lemurs), arboreal (tree-dwelling) rodents, or even
reptiles (gecko lizard and garden lizard) have also been reported as pollinators in some species.
▶ Flowers of animals pollinated plants are specifically adapted for a particular species of animal.

▶ Majority of insect-pollinated flowers are large, colourful, fragrant and rich in nectar.

▶ When the flowers are small, a number of flowers are clustered into an inflorescence to
make them conspicuous.

▶ Animals are attracted to flowers by colour and/or fragrance.

▶ The flowers pollinated by flies and beetles secrete foul odours to attract these animals.

▶ To sustain animal visits, the flowers have to provide rewards to the animals.
Nectar and pollen grains are the usual floral rewards.

▶ For harvesting the reward(s) from the flower the animal visitor comes in contact with the anthers
and the stigma.

▶ The body of the animal gets a coating of pollen grains, which are generally sticky
in animal pollinated flowers.

▶ When the animal carrying pollen on its body comes in contact with the stigma, it brings about
pollination.

▶ The body of the animal gets a coating of pollen grains, which are generally sticky
in animal pollinated flowers.

▶ When the animal carrying pollen on its body comes in contact with the stigma, it brings about
 pollination.

▶ In some species floral rewards are in providing safe places to lay eggs; an example is that of the
tallest flower of Amorphophallus (the flower itself is about 6 feet in height).

▶ A similar relationship exists between a species of moth and the plant Yucca where both species –
moth and the plant – cannot complete their life cycles without each other.

▶ The moth deposits its eggs in the locule of the ovary and the flower, in turn, gets pollinated by
the moth.

▶ The larvae of the moth come out of the eggs as the seeds start developing.

▶ Many insects may consume pollen or the nectar without bringing about
pollination.

▶ Such floral visitors are referred to as pollen/nectar robbers.

 Why don’t you observe some flowers of the following plants (or any others available to you): Cucumber,
Mango, Peepal, Coriander, Papaya, Onion, Lobia, Cotton, Tobacco, Rose, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Banana?

▶ Organism -
Pollinators Bees and insects Ants
▶ Cucumber -
Insects
Insects Insects Insects
▶ Mango - Insects
▶ Coriander -

▶ Peepal -

▶ Papaya -

▶ Onion -

▶ Cotton -
 Outbreeding Devices

▶ Majority of flowering plants produce hermaphrodite flowers and pollen grains are likely to come in
contact with the stigma of the same flower.

▶ Continued self-pollination result in inbreeding depression.

▶ Flowering plants have developed many devices to discourage selfpollination and to encourage cross-
pollination.

▶ 1. In some species, pollen release and stigma receptivity are not synchronised.

▶ Either the pollen is released before the stigma becomes receptive or stigma
becomes receptive much before the release of pollen.

▶ 2. In some other species, the anther and stigma are placed at different positions.

▶ so that the pollen cannot come in contact with the stigma of the same flower.

▶ Both these devices prevent autogamy.

▶ The third device to prevent inbreeding is self-incompatibility.

▶ This is a genetic mechanism and prevents self-pollen (from the same flower or other flowers of
the same plant) from fertilising the ovules by inhibiting pollen germination or pollen tube growth
in the pistil.
▶ Another device to prevent self-pollination is the production of unisexual flowers.

▶ If both male and female flowers are present on the same plant such as castor
and maize (monoecious), it prevents autogamy but not geitonogamy.

▶ In several species such as papaya, male and female flowers are present on different plants,
that is each plant is either male or female (dioecy).

▶ This condition prevents both autogamy and geitonogamy.