Viva-Voce 1

Viva-Voce
Study of Pollen Germination

Q.1. Pollen grains show great variation in their morphology and structure.
Name the branch of science which deals with it.
Ans. The science which deals with the study of the pollen grain is called palynology.
Q.2. Name the area of the pollen from where the pollen tube arises?
Ans. Germ pores.
Q.3. Give the technical term for the characteristic sculpturing or design on the surface of the
pollen grain.
Ans. The technical term used for this is called tectum.
Q.4. What is the importance of tectum to a taxonomist?
Ans. Each plant has specific sculpturing on its pollen grain. So, it helps a taxonomist to identify the
family of the plant to which the particular pollen grain belongs to.
Q.5. What is the chemical nature of pollen grain walls?
Ans. The pollen grain has two walls, i.e. exine (outer wall) and inline (inner wall). Intine is chiefly
composed of peat cellulose whereas, exine is made up of sporopollenin (the most resistant biological
material is known so far) and fatty substances.
Q.6. How many pollen tubes emerge from a pollen grain?
Ans. Only one pollen tube emerges from a pollen grain.
Q.7. What does a pollen tube carry?
Ans. Pollen tube carries two male gametes and one vegetative nucleus.
Q.8. What stimulates the growth of a pollen tube in a pistil ?
Ans. The secretion of sugary substances from stigma stimulates the growth of pollen tube in pistil.
Q.9. Why do we use sucrose as the medium for pollen germination?
Ans. Sucrose provides nutrition in the germ tube for its growth as a pollen tube.
Q.10. Can you explain as to why some pollen grains fail to germinate?
Ans. The pollen grains which lose their viability are the ones that often fail to germinate.
Q.11. What are microspores?
Ans. Pollen grains are known as microspores.
Q.12. Define palynology.
Ans. Branch of science dealing with the study of pollen grains is known as palynology.
Q.13. What is the ploidy of pollens?
Ans. Haploid.
Q.14. Name two layers of Pollen.
Ans. Exine, inline.
Q.15. What is the origin of pollen grains?
Ans. Sporogenous cells or Microspore mother cells.
Q.16. What does Pollen tube carry?
Ans. Pollen tube carries vegetative nucleus and gametes.
Q.17. Can you explain, why some pollen grains fail to germinate?
Ans. Some pollen grains fail to germinate if they are not shed at the right stage.
Q.18. Why do we use sucrose as a medium for pollen germination?
Ans. Sucrose provides nourishment for pollen germination as available on stigma.
Q.19. What is the shape of a pollen grain?
Ans. It is commonly globular in outline, though several other shapes are also found.
Q.20. What is palynology?
Ans. The study of pollen grains is called palynology.
Q.21. What is the composition of the wall of pollen grain?
Ans. It is made up of two layers, outer exine and inner intine.
Q.22. What is the chemical nature of the two layers of the wall of pollen grain?
Ans. Intine is pecto-cellulosic in nature and exine is made of a highly resistant fatty substance called
sporopollenin.
Q.23. What is tectum?
Ans. It is the discontinuous surface layer of the exine of the pollen grain wall, which provides
characteristic sculpturing or designs over the surface of a pollen grain.
Q.24. What is the importance of tectum to a taxonomist?
Ans. It can help a taxonomist to identify the pollen grains and refer them to their family, genus or
species.
Q.25. What are pollen grains?
Ans. Pollen grains are the haploid male gametophytes of plants.
26. What is a pollen tube?
Ans. When the pollen grain germinates, the intine grows out into a tube called pollen tube.
Q.27. What is pollination?
Ans. It is the transfer of pollen grains from the anther of a flower to the stigma of the flower of same
species.
Q.28.How many nuclei are present in pollen grain?
Ans. Two, the larger one is vegetative or tube nucleus and the smaller one is the generative nucleus.
Q.29.Which nucleus gives rise to male gametes?
Ans. Generative nucleus.
Q.30. What is the number of chromosomes in the generative nucleus? Ans. Haploid or n number
of chromosomes.
Q.31. What stimulates the growth of the pollen tube?
Ans. The sugary substances secreted by stigma stimulate the growth of pollen tube.
Q.32. What is double fertilisation?
Ans. Of the two male gametes of the pollen tube, one fuses with the egg cell and the other fuses
with the definitive nucleus. This process of fusion occurring twice is called double fertilisation.
Q.33. What is palynology?
Ans. The study of pollen grains is known as palynology.
Q.34.What is exine?
Ans. The outermost sculptured protective layer of pollen wall is called exine.
Q.35. Define pollination.
Ans. Pollination is a transfer of pollens from anthers of one flower to the stigma of the same or
different flower of the same or different plant of same species.
Q.36. How is cross-pollination different from self-pollination?
Ans. Self-pollination involves the transfer of pollen within same flower or different flower of the
same plant. Cross-pollination, on the other hand, involves the transfer of pollen between different
flowers of different plants of the same species.
Q.37Name different modes of pollination.
Ans.Wind, water and animals are various modes of pollination.
Q.38.List the merits and demerits of self- pollination.
Ans. Merits of self-pollination:
(i) There is no wastage of pollen grains.
(ii) Less chances of pollination failure.
(iii) Good characters are maintained in the plant body.
Demerits of self-pollination:
(i) The production of new varieties is inhibited
(ii) The progeny gets gradually weakened.
(iii) More seeds are produced.
Q.39. What do you think is preferred by nature—self or cross-pollination?
Ans. Cross-pollination is preferred over self-pollination.
Q.40. What are the various adaptations that favour self-pollination?
Ans.
(i) Homogamy. In this adaptation, anthers and stigma mature at the same time in a bisexual flower.
This adaptation increases the chances of self- pollination though it is not obligatory.
(ii) Cleistogamy. In this adaptation, flowers do not open at all, so self-pollination becomes
obligatory. It is seen in the underground flowers of Commelina, Oxalis, Viola etc.
Q.41.Define the terms: Zoophily, Omithophily, Chiropterophily, Myrmecophily.
Ans. Zoophily is pollination brought about by animals. Ornithophily is pollination brought about
by birds. Chiropterophily is pollination brought about by bats. Myrmecophily is pollination brought
about by ants.
Q.42. Name the flower that is known to be pollinated by elephants.
Ans. Rafflesia flowers (biggest in the plant kingdom) are reported to be pollinated by elephants.

Viva-Voce 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Viva-Voce 1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Viva-Voce 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Viva-Voce

Study of Pollen Germination

You might also like