alleryStart learning →What does the tapetum do inside an anther?
AIt splits the pollen sac walls to shed grains
BIt nourishes microspores and builds pollen wall
CIt guides the pollen tube towards the ovule
DIt stores starch for the developing seed coat
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. It nourishes microspores and builds pollen wall
1. The tapetum is an inner layer of cells within the anther.
2. It provides nutrition to the developing microspores.
3. It also contributes key components to the pollen wall.
4. In particular the tapetal cells supply sporopollenin, the complex waterproofing substance in the outer pollen coat.
5. Splitting of the pollen sac walls happens at maturity, when the microsporangia burst to release the grains, and is not a tapetal job.
6. Guiding the pollen tube is the work of the synergids in the embryo sac, at the far end of the journey.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 32 "Plant Reproduction", section 32.1 Reproductive Development and Structure_
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