In most flowering plant, fertilization can be a complicated and intricate process including many key factors. The first step before fertilization can even occur is pollination, but even before that, meiosis must take place in the anthers. Four haploid spore cells are created from this process. These will eventually become pollen grains. After that, pollination occurs when pollen grains from the anther land on a stigma. This can happen when bees, birds, and other animals go from one flower to the next picking up pollen as they go without even noticing. Other ways of transportation include weather events, wind, and other similar predicament. After the pollen grains land on the stigma, a pollen tube grows (from the pollen grain) through the style and into the ovary. Sperm cells inside the pollen grain begin to travel downward through the pollen tube into the ovary. The ovary contains the ovules. Finally, when one of the sperm cells fuses with the egg inside of an ovule, fertilization occurs. After fertilization has occurred, each ovule turns into a seed. Each seed will contain an embryo (a tiny undeveloped plant) and will very possibly grow someday into a beautiful flower.
Pictures:
This is a picture of a petal of the flower. Petals help protect some parts of the flower and at the same time their color attracts bees and other small animals to help with the process of pollination.
This is a picture of the anthers. The anthers are located on the end of the stamen. Their role is to create the male gametophyte know as pollen.
This is the female reproductive structure of a flower is known as a carpel. The three main parts of the carpel are the ovary, stigma, and a style. It’s job is to create the egg and protect the embryo. The stigma is also where the pollination occurs.
This photo shows the ovules which are located within the ovary. When fertilized, the ovules will turn into seeds. The seed will contain the embryo, the endosperm, and a seed coat.
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