Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

Pollination

Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from the male anther to the female stigma. Pollination can happen in different ways:

Self-pollination

Self-pollination

  • Self pollination happens when pollen from an anther is transferred to the stigma of the same flower, or a different flower on the same plant.
  • The offspring produced are identical to the parent plant, so a disadvantage of this is a lack of genetic variation in the offspring.
  • An advantage of this is that if a plant is not able to reproduce by cross-pollination (for example there are no pollinators nearby), they can still reproduce through self-pollination.
Cross-pollination

Cross-pollination

  • Cross-pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anthers of one flower to the stigma of a flower on a different plant.
  • This introduces genetic variation into the offspring, so they are more able to respond to environmental changes.
Fertilisation

Fertilisation

  • After pollination, a structure called a pollen tube grows out of the pollen grain down the style.
  • The male gamete travels down the pollen tube to the ovule inside the ovary.
  • Fertilisation is when the nucleus of a male gamete fuses with the nucleus of a female gamete (the ovule).
Jump to other topics
1

The Nature & Variety of Living Organisms

2

Structure & Functions in Living Organisms

3

Organism Functions

3.1

Respiration

3.2

Gas Exchange

3.3

Transport

3.4

Excretion

3.5

Coordination & Response

4

Reproduction & Inheritance

5

Ecology

6

Biological Resources

Practice questions on Pollination

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
Answer all questions on Pollination

Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium

  • Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions

  • Mini-mock exams based on your study history

  • Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books

Get started with Seneca Premium