What Is Cross Pollination?
Flowering plants reproduce sexually, meaning that they have male and female parts and require fertilization to create seeds and/ or fruits. This fertilization is achieved through the process of pollination. Some flowers can pollinate themselves, but most require outside help in the form of cross pollination. Does this Spark an idea?
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Pollen
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Pollen is tiny round or oval-shape grains produced by flowers for the purpose of reproduction. In cross pollination, the pollen from the flower of one plant is carried to a flower of another plant of the same species, fertilizing it. Cross pollination gives flowers the best chance for survival because it allows for genetic diversity.
Pollen Movement
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Pollen travels several ways. If you live in a place with marked seasons and large numbers of plants and trees, you may have seen a yellow powdery film of pollen on your car, windows or sidewalk in early spring. This pollen is being carried to and from plants by the wind. Pollen is also carried from flower to flower bats, birds, bees, butterflies, beetles, flies and moths. These animals, called pollinators, are attracted to plants by the inviting scent and colorful petals of their flowers. The flowers offer them food in the form of liquid nectar or the pollen itself.
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Pistil and Stigma
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The pistil is the female reproductive part of a plant. It extends from the center of the flower in a rod shape. The stigma is a slightly bulbous formation located at the top of the pistil. When pollen reaches the stigma, the flower becomes fertilized.
Stamen and Anther
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The stamen is a thin rod that extends out from the pistil, and is the male reproductive part of a plant. The stamen produce the flower's pollen and stores in its large tip, called an anther, in easy reach of pollinators.
The Ovule
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The ovule is a hollow compartment in the base of a flower head where, once fertilized, the flower will produce seeds. In many plants, the ovule will enlarge to form a fruit. Eventually, whether by wind, decomposition, or foraging by animals and people, these seeds will be dispersed and germinate, and the plant will have reproduced successfully.
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