IN PLANTS POLLEN PLAYS A IMPORTANT ROLE AS A MALE GAMETE WHICH FERTILIZE WITH THE EGG NUCLEUS AND DO FERTILIZATION.THIS WILL RESULT THE SEED FORMATION IN ANGIOSPERMS AND GYMNOSPERMS. THE FIELD OF SCIENCE WHICH DEALS WITH STUDY ABOUT THE POLLEN AND SPORES IS KNOWN AS PALYNOLOGY.
IN PLANT POLLINATION MANY ORGANISMS ARE HELPING IN POLLINATION. THESE ARE KNOWN AS POLLINATOR. THE POLLINATOR WERE CLASSIFIED INTO TWO MAJOR GROUPS.
BIOTIC POLLINATORS
ABIOTIC POLLINATORS
BIOTIC POLLINATORS ARE LIVING ORGANISMS WHICH HELPS IN THE POLLINATION. Eg: BUTTERFLY POLLINATION (Psychophily), MOTH POLLINATION (phalaenophily), FLY POLLINATION (myophily and sapromyophily), BIRD POLLINATION (ornithophily), BAT POLLINATION (chiropterophily), BEETLE POLLINATION (cantharophily).
ABIOTIC IS THE NON LIVING FACTORS SUCH AS WIND POLLINATION (Anemophily) AND WATER POLLINATION(Hydrophily).
BUTTERFLY POLLINATION (Psychophily)
Pollen of Hibiscus rosea (40x)
Pollen grains are microscopic in size, ranging in diameter from less than 0.01mm (about 0.0000004 in) to a little over 0.5 mm (about 0.00002 in). The outer covering of pollen grains, called the pollen wall, is often sculpted in different shapes. Often botanists can tell what kind of plant the pollen came from by the shape. All the pollen grains from the hibiscus family look basically like this. (Reticulum- Network-like pattern formed by exine elements (muri), where the lumina are wider than 1 μm).