Question

Which of the following statements is not correct?
A. Pollen grain of many species can germinate on the stigma of a flower, but only one pollen tube of the same species grows into the style.
B. Insects that consume pollen or nectar without bringing about pollination are called pollen/nectar robbers.
C. Pollen germination and pollen tube growth are regulated by chemical components of pollen interacting with those of the pistil.
D. Some reptiles have also been reported as pollinators in some plant species.

Answer 1

In flowering plants, however, the ovules are contained within a hollow organ called the pistil, and the pollen is deposited on the pistil’s receptive surface, the stigma. There the pollen germinates and gives rise to a pollen tube.

Complete Answer:
To answer this question, first, we need to know about cell pollination. Pollination is the act of transferring pollen grains from the male anther to the female stigma in a flower. The aim of each living organism, involving plants, is to produce offspring for the upcoming generation. One of the ways that plants can make offspring is by forming seeds. Seeds contain the genetic information to produce a new plant.

Now, let us find the solution from the option.
- Pollen grains of other species are not compatible and do not germinate on the stigma of the flower of different species.
- Pollen or nectar robbers are those animals, insects, birds that remove the nectar from a flowering plant without causing pollination.
- The event of pollen-pistil interaction is started by landing of true pollen on the compatible pistil. The germination of pollen and formation of pollen tubes occurs where pollen grains release their contents. Pollen tube develops through the style of the pistil towards the ovary.
- Lizards, mice, bats and other vertebrates are important pollinators too. Bees are not the only animals that carry pollen from flower to flower. Species with backbones, among them bats, birds, mice, and even lizards, also serve as pollinators.

Thus, the incorrect option is A. i.e. Pollen grain of many species can germinate on the stigma of a flower, but only one pollen tube of the similar species grows into the style.

Note: Pollination is commonly the unexpected result of an animal’s activity on a flower. The pollinator is usually collecting pollen for its protein and other nutritive characteristics or it drinks nectar from the flower when pollen grains come in contact with the animal body. When the animal goes to another flower for the similar purpose, pollen can be fallen down onto the flower’s stigma and may result in popular reproduction of the flower.