Tag: sexual reproduction in flowering plants

• Casuarina equisetifolia is a monoecious, wind-pollinated species that undergoes chalazogamy fertilization.
  
• In this type of fertilization, the pollen tube penetrates the ovule through the tissue of the chalaza.
  
• It was first observed by Treub in 1981 in Casuarina species.
  

The pollen tube consists of two male gametes. One male gamete fertilizes the egg cell placed in between the egg apparatus and forms the diploid oospore/zygote which forms embryo after maturation. While the other male gamete fuses with the two polar nuclei of the central cell and forms the triploid PEN (Primary Endosperm Nucleus) which results in the formation of endosperm after maturation.

Chemotaxis is the movement of an organism or plant in response to a chemical stimulus. Somatic cells, bacteria and other single cell or multicellular organisms direct their movements according to certain chemicals in their environment. It is clearly seen in the case of growth of pollen tube towards the embryo sac. The pollen tube does not directly reach the ovary in a straight line. It travels near the skin of the style and curls to the bottom of the ovary, then near the receptacle, it breaks through the ovule through the micropyle and the pollen tube bursts into the embryo sac.

In mesogamy, pollen tube enters the ovule through the integuments or funiculus. After the pollen tube enters the embryo sac, its apex dissolves and the male gametes are liberated. One of the male gametes are liberated. One of the male gametes fuses with the egg and produces a diploid zygote which by further division develops into an embryo. The other male gamete fuses with the diploid secondary nucleus and produces a triploid primary endosperm nucleus. This is called double fertilization.

Synergid cells are two specialized cells that lie adjacent to the egg cell in the female gametophyte of angiosperms and play an essential role in  pollen tube guidance and function. The term synergid comes from the Greek word ' Synergos' which means 'working together' and was reportedly coined by Eduard Strasburger. The pollen tube grows towards and into one of the synergid cells, which begins to degenerate as the pollen tube enters it. The pollen tube then ceases growth, ruptures and releases its two sperm cells which migrate to the egg and central cell, fertilization of which gives rise to the embryo and endosperm, respectively. The synergid cells are necessary for pollen tube guidance in the ovule.

Paratonic growth movements are the induced movements of growth, caused by external stimuli, such as gravity, light, water or contact. The movements show a directional relation to the stimulus. The stimuli are effective in causing growth movements only when they are unidirectional. Such movements are generally known as tropic movements and the phenomenon is referred to as tropism. 

Movements of locomotion are generally very fast movements, which may be
(A) Autonomic or spontaneous and
(B) induced or paratonic.
The induced locomotory movements are also called as tactic movements induced by external stimuli. Based on the nature of stimuli, these may be of three types:
(i) Phototactic movement: Seen in zoospores and gametes, which are provided with a light sensitive eye spot, which is attracted by low light intensities.
(ii) Thermotactic movement: Movement in response to heat stimulus is seen in certain motile algae, like Chlamydomonas, which moves from a colder to a warmer place.
(iii) Chemotactic movement: In bryophytes and pteridophytes, the swimming antherozoids are attracted towards the archegonium by chemical stimuli, such as organic substances, like sugar, malic acid and so on.

The pollen tube grows towards embryo sac because of influence of certain chemicals. Pollen tube most commonly enters embryo sac through micropyle and bursts in one of the synergid. It is believed that filiform apparatus of synergids secrete pollen tube attracting chemicals. Mineral; boron is required for germination of pollen grains and elongation of pollen tube. The growth of pollen tube is an example of chemotropism.