NEETBotanySexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants
What occurs when one of the male gametes moves towards the egg cell?
Options
- AIt undergoes syngamy with the central cell.
- BIt fuses with the egg cell's nucleus.
- CIt produces a triploid primary endosperm nucleus.
- DIt forms a diploid primary endosperm nucleus.
Correct answer
B. It fuses with the egg cell's nucleus.
Step-by-step solution
After entering one of the synergids, the pollen tube releases the two male gametes into the cytoplasm of the synergid. One of the male gametes moves towards the egg cell and fuses with its nucleus thus completing the syngamy. This results in the formation of a diploid cell, the zygote. The other male gamete moves towards the two polar nuclei located in the central cell and fuses with them to produce a triploid primary endosperm nucleus (PEN) (Figure 1.13a). As this involves the fusion of three haploid nuclei it is