Comparing Pollen from Two Different Flowers (BioE80 Spr2015)
May 27, 2015 • 12:00 AM UTC
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dchung45
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For my micropuzzle, I am asking the question: how do different flowers dispense pollen differently? To address this question, I collected samples from two different types of flowers, one red and the other white. I took samples of the flowers’ anthers and stamens, the parts of the flower that produce and dispense pollen. See the picture below.
Taking the stamen/anthers from the red and white flowers, I then took a series of images to determine what traits might be important for pollen distribution.
Let’s first examine the white flower.
Let’s first examine the white flower.
The top two photos show the stamen. The yellow anthers, as pictured in the lower pictures, are generally spherical in shape with an indent at the top (see bottom photo). I would guess that the yellow coloring is meant to attract bees and other insects, as to better distribute pollen. I would also think that the indent at the top allows for the anthers to build up and store pollen better than a flat surface.
Now, let’s look at the red flower.
Now, let’s look at the red flower.
Here, the red flower has spines or spikes, soft to the touch, but rigid enough to stick to things. I would think this is so that when these pollen carriers fall, they might stick to animals or other moving objects and further spread pollen for the flower.
For the future, there are two questions that I am still wondering about:
Why did these respective flowers develop differently?
Are actual pollen samples different between the two flowers?
Contributors: Alex Rezai, Ibrahim Kushan
For the future, there are two questions that I am still wondering about:
Why did these respective flowers develop differently?
Are actual pollen samples different between the two flowers?
Contributors: Alex Rezai, Ibrahim Kushan
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