Question

What are the significances of double fertilization?

Hint:

Exclusive to angiosperms, double fertilization plays a crucial role in their adaptive success, notably enhancing seed viability.

Answer 1

Double fertilization is a distinctive process in flowering plants where one male gamete fertilizes the egg, forming a zygote, and another male gamete fuses with the polar nuclei to produce the triploid endosperm. 
1. Efficient Resource Utilization: Guarantees that the endosperm, the embryo’s nutritional source, develops only after successful fertilization.
2. Simultaneous Development of Two Structures: Results in the concurrent formation of both the zygote (embryo) and the endosperm.
3. Enhanced Seed Viability: Promotes better nutrition and increased survival prospects for the embryo.
4. Triploid Endosperm Production: Acts as a vital food reserve, supporting the seedling’s initial growth.