In flowering plants, fertilization would occur when
Answer Details
In flowering plants, fertilization would occur when one of the nuclei inside the pollen tube fuses with the ovum.
Flowering plants reproduce sexually, and they need to undergo fertilization to produce seeds. The process of fertilization starts with the transfer of pollen from the male part of the plant (anther) to the female part (stigma) in a process called pollination. Once the pollen grain lands on the stigma, it produces a tube (pollen tube) that grows down through the style until it reaches the ovary, where the ovules are located.
Inside the pollen tube, there are two nuclei - one generative nucleus and one tube nucleus. The generative nucleus divides into two sperm nuclei, while the tube nucleus helps the pollen tube to grow down through the style.
When the pollen tube reaches the ovary, one of the sperm nuclei fuses with the egg or ovum, while the other fuses with the two polar nuclei to form the endosperm. This process is called double fertilization and results in the formation of a zygote, which will eventually develop into a seed, and the endosperm, which provides nutrients for the developing embryo.
So, in summary, fertilization in flowering plants occurs when one of the nuclei inside the pollen tube fuses with the ovum.