Question

Describe the changes that occur in flowers after fertilization.

Answer 1

Hint: Fertilization, in plants, is a process of fusion in which female gamete, the ovum or egg cell, fuses with male gamete that is transferred through pollen tube of pollen grain into the ovary by the process called pollination.

Complete answer:
Angiosperms are called flowering plants because they produce flowers only. The flowers contain male and female gametes, which fuses with the help of pollination. It is the process of transfer of pollen grains from anther to the stigma of an ovary. The fertilization takes place in two steps-
> One male gamete from the pollen tube will fuse with an egg cell and produce a single zygote.
> Second male gamete from the pollen tube fuse with polar nuclei to form endosperm.
After the fertilization, various changes that take place in the flower includes -
> The sepals, usually green in colour, get dried and fall off from the flower.
> The Petals, the coloured part of the flower, also get dried and fall off from the flower.
> The style and the stigma also get dried and shed off from the ovary.
> The embryo and polar nuclei start dividing rapidly to produce a young embryo attached to the endosperm.
> The ovule produces seed after growth and development.
> The ovary and its wall produce fruit, the sweet part outside the coat.
> The wall of the ovary makes the outer protective layer pericarp of fruit.

Note:
After fertilization the male reproductive part or organ is dried up while the female reproductive organ develops into fruit. The fruit attracts animals to spread seed to distant locations and also provide nutrition.