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Mature Pollen and its Impact on Plant and Man

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Sexual Plant Reproduction

Abstract

The ultimate goal of the pollen grain is to contribute to zygote formation. In principle, each mature pollen grain produced by and scattered from the anther carries the male genome twice for the double fertilization of one female embryo sac. In nature, however many more pollen grains are processed than are necessary for the fertilization of all female receptive cells, at least in most of the angiosperm plant species. This overproduction of male material is a trait that the higher plants have in common with most other plants and animals. While some people consider this a waste of energy and material, it is not so: the so-called useless pollen grains have a function with respect to other plants: in the ecosystem, they can be food for animals, and they have an impact on human beings. This impact that pollen has on plants, animals, and man is the direct consequence of its mass production.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli, 4, 53100, Siena, Italy

    H. F. Linskens

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  1. H. F. Linskens
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Universita degli Studi di Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli, 4, 53100, Siena, Italy

    Mauro Cresti  & Antonio Tiezzi  & 

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© 1992 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Linskens, H.F. (1992). Mature Pollen and its Impact on Plant and Man. In: Cresti, M., Tiezzi, A. (eds) Sexual Plant Reproduction. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-77677-9_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-77677-9_20

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-77679-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-77677-9

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