The Process of Fertilisation in Plants (Edexcel IGCSE Science (Double Award))

Fertilisation & Fruit Formation

Fertilisation

• After successful pollination a pollen tube forms to deliver the male nucleus to the egg cell, or ovum, in the ovary of a flower

  • The pollen tube grows down the style towards the ovary

  • The pollen grain travels down the pollen tube

• Fertilisation occurs when the pollen nucleus and the ovum nucleus fuse together to form a zygote

The pollen nucleus travels down a pollen tube before fusing with a female nucleus during fertilisation

Seed and fruit formation

• After fertilisation the ovule develops into a seed

• The parts of the flower surrounding the ovule develop into a fruit, which contains the seeds

• Fruits provide a mechanism for seed dispersal, e.g.

  • some fruits are eaten by animals, which then disperse the seeds in their droppings

  • some fruits have sticky hooks that get caught in the fur of passing animals