Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

Development of male and female gametophytes


  1. Pollen grain is the first cell of male gametophyte that divides mitotically to yield a bigger tube cell (or) vegetative cell and a smaller generative cell.
  2. The tube nucleus moves to the tip of the pollen tube and degenerates where the generative cell divides into 2 male gametes.
  3. The functional megaspore is the first cell of female gametophyte (or) embryo sac, where its nucleus undergoes nuclear division (mitosis) to form 8 daughter nuclei out of which three nuclei at the base of Embryo sac form antipodal cells and other 3 at the micropylar end constitute egg apparatus, (2-synergids ; 1 – egg / oosphere) and rest 2 nucleus fuse to form a diploid (or) secondary nucleus.
  4. A filiform apparatus helps in the easy penetration of pollen tube by guiding them.
  5. Thus a typical embryo sac contains 8 nuclei but 7 celled stage (i) 3 micropylar, one central and 3 charazal.

Watch this video for the topic from 0:39 to 49:38

Disclaimer: Compete.etutor.co may from time to time provide links to third party Internet sites under their respective fair use policy and it may from time to time provide materials from such third parties on this website. These third party sites and any third party materials are provided for viewers convenience and for non-commercial educational purpose only. Compete does not operate or control in any respect any information, products or services available on these third party sites. Compete.etutor.co makes no representations whatsoever concerning the content of these sites and the fact that compete.etutor.co has provided a link to such sites is NOT an endorsement, authorization, sponsorship, or affiliation by compete.etutor.co with respect to such sites, its services, the products displayed, its owners, or its providers.