Plant Eco Pollen & Dispersal

Stamens

The male parts of a flower that produce pollen, consisting of a filament and an anther.

Pistil

The female part of a flower responsible for seed production, which has three main parts: stigma, style, and ovary.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma, which can occur without fertilization.

Fertilization

The union of sperm and egg in plants.

Pollination syndrome

Floral characteristics associated with pollination by biotic or abiotic means.

Wind pollination

Pollination method that involves small, light pollen grains and often occurs in temperate regions.

Animal pollination

Pollination facilitated by animals, which can be more efficient than wind and often involves coevolution with plants.

Self-pollination

A type of pollination where pollen fertilizes the ovules of the same individual plant.

Cross-pollination

Pollination that involves the transfer of pollen between different plants, promoting genetic diversity.

Cleistogamy

A form of pollination occurring within a closed flower that does not require a pollinator.

Dioecious plants

Plants with unisexual flowers on separate individuals, requiring cross-pollination.

Self-incompatibility

The inability of a bisexual plant to produce zygotes with its own pollen, often controlled by the S gene.

diaspores

The dispersal units of plants that result from the ovary, typically in the form of fruits.

Long-distance dispersal

Dispersal that occurs far enough away from the parent plant to minimize interaction, often necessary for establishment in new areas.

Hercogamy

Separation of anthers and stigmas in flowers, which decreases self-fertilization.

Elaiosomes

Fats, proteins, and sugars attached to seeds that attract ants for seed dispersal.

Seed bank

A collection of seeds in the soil that can remain dormant and germinate under favorable conditions.

Serotiny

A seed dispersal mechanism in which seeds are released from cones only in response to certain environmental conditions, such as fire.

Geitonogamy

breeding between flowers from one individual plant

Autogamy

breeding within a single flower

Heterostyly

involving floral differences in stigma and stamen position. Most flowers are homostylous, which means the height of stigmas and stamens are constant/equal. 

Enantiostyly

curvature of style to left or right away from stamen. 

Movement hercogamy

movement of floral parts