TED Talk- The hidden beauty of pollination

Hi,

Pollination: it's vital to life on Earth, but largely unseen by the human eye. Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg shows us the intricate world of pollen and pollinators with gorgeous high-speed images from his film "Wings of Life," inspired by the vanishing of one of nature's primary pollinators, the honeybee.




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What did you give your girlfriend on Valentine's Day?

Hi,

Do you guys remember how I usually start the topic on plant reproduction?

What is the usual gift do boys give to their girlfriends? Colourful, fragrant, large, showy and un-private sex organs - of plants of course!

Below is a good illustration of what I mean.




Happy New Year

Pollination and sexual reproduction in plants

Hi,

Pollination involves flowers and pollen grains. The agents of pollination could be insects such as bees, ants, bats and other animals that visit flowers to get their food- pollen grains and nectar.

After the pollen grain is successfully transferred from the anther to the stigma, fertilisation process will kick in. This process is different from that in animals as the pollen grain germinates and grows a pollen tube will allows the male gamete to travel through the tube to the ovule.

Flowers go to great lengths to avoid self-fertilisation and prefer cross-fertilisation. It is fascination to see this processes employed in the different species of flowering plants.


Watch these two videos to clarify these concepts.










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