Discuss the various mechanisms that hinder self-pollination and self-fertilisation in plants .

  Protandry and protogyny; these are mechanisms where either the male or female parts of the reproductive organs ripen at different times in some flowers; Protandry is a case where stamens ripen earlier; and anthers release their pollen grains before the stigma is mature; while protogyny refers to a case where the stigma matures earlier; and hence becomes ready to receive pollen grains before the anthers are ready/ripe to shed the pollen grains; common in plants of the grass family; Self-sterility or incompatibility; is a case where pollen grains cannot germinate on stigma of the same plant; but only germinate on a different plant of the same species; hindering self-pollination; Heterostyly; condition of having different arrangements of style and stigma; for instance flowers could have shorter stamens than pistils; hence becomes impossible for the pollen to land, germinate and fertilise the ovules of the same flower; pistils on some flowers could also be shorter than the stamens therefore other mechanisms that hinder self-pollination are utilized; Dioecius and monoecius plants; dioecius plants have reproductive parts located separately on different plants of the same species; discouraging self-pollination; while monoecius plants have the parts located at different parts of the same plant body; encouraging cross-pollination;
 Max. 20 mks 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Explain how structures of the human ear are adapted to their functions. (20 marks)

DESCRIBE THE ADAPTATIONS OF THE ILEUM TO ITS FUNCTION (20 MARKS)

(a) Define digestion. [2 m] (b) Describe the digestion of a piece of ugali in a human digestive system from the mouth until its assimilation. [18mks]