Pollination

Every living thing in this world is somehow related or connected to each other. The only difference is the way they do things, to keep themselves alive. Each year since we have grown, and we have been taught many different processes that plants and anything in the world has and how it works. A process that is familiar is called pollination. Meaning pollen is transferred in plants; it enables fertilization and sexual reproduction (Russel et al, 2010). Pollen grains contain the male sperm, which are known as the gametes (sperm) to where the female gamest are carried in the carpel, which in this case the gymnosperms directly apply the pollen to the ovule itself (Russel et al, 2010). Pollination is a very important step in the history of reproduction of flowering plants, due that it enables the production of offspring that genetically vary. To be pollinated, pollen must be moved from a stamen to the stigma. When the pollen is transferred to that same plant’s stigma, that’s when its called self- pollination. When pollen from a plant’s stamen is transferred to a different plant’s stigma, its called cross- pollination (Russel et al, 2010). Pollination happens is several ways; plants rely on animals or the wind to pollinate them. When animals such as bees pollinate plants, its accidental. Another way plants are pollinated is by the wind. The wind picks up the pollen from one plant and blows it onto another one. The plants that are pollinated by the wind often have very long stamens and pistils. Since they do not need to attract animal pollinators (Russel et al, 2010).

Wind pollination is also referred to as abiotic pollination, meaning that pollination is mediated without the involvement of other organisms. Not many plants are pollinated without animal assistance. This form of pollination is predominant in grasses; most are conifers, and many deciduous trees. Hydrophily is pollination by water and occurs only in aquatic plants, which release their pollen directly into