Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Pollination and Flower Structure02:40

Pollination and Flower Structure

78.5K
Flowers are the reproductive, seed-producing structures of angiosperms. Typically, flowers consist of sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. Sepals and petals are the vegetative flower organs. Stamens and carpels are the reproductive organs.  
78.5K
The Angiosperm Life Cycle02:39

The Angiosperm Life Cycle

75.3K
Plants have a life cycle split between two multicellular stages: a haploid stage—with cells containing one set of chromosomes—and a diploid stage—with cells containing two sets of chromosomes. The haploid stage is the gamete-producing gametophyte, and the diploid stage is the spore-producing sporophyte.
75.3K
Fertilization01:38

Fertilization

92.3K
During fertilization, an egg and sperm cell fuse to create a new diploid structure. In humans, the process occurs once the egg has been released from the ovary, and travels into the fallopian tubes. The process requires several key steps: 1) sperm present in the genital tract must locate the egg; 2) once there, sperm need to release enzymes to help them burrow through the protective zona pellucida of the egg; and 3) the membranes of a single sperm cell and egg must fuse, with the sperm...
92.3K
Seed Structure and Early Development of the Sporophyte02:33

Seed Structure and Early Development of the Sporophyte

31.5K
Seed structures are composed of a protective seed coat surrounding a plant embryo, and a food store for the developing embryo. The embryo contains the precursor tissues for leaves, stem, and roots. The endosperm and cotyledons—seed leaves—act as the food reserves for the growing embryo.
31.5K
Dihybrid Crosses01:18

Dihybrid Crosses

81.9K
Overview
81.9K
Fruit Development, Structure, and Function01:58

Fruit Development, Structure, and Function

25.6K
Fruits form from a mature flower ovary. As seeds develop from the ovules contained within, the ovary wall undergoes a series of complex changes to form fruit. In some fruits, such as soybeans, the ovary wall dries; in other fruits, such as grapes, it remains fleshy. In some cases, organs other than the ovary contribute to fruit formation; such fruits are called accessory fruits.
25.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Gain Curves, Reproductive Efficiency, and Sex Allocation.

Ecology and evolution·2026
Same author

The nature of gain curves.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2026
Same author

Global meta-analysis shows that threatened flowering plants have higher pollination deficits.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Pollination efficiency and the pollen-ovule ratio.

The New phytologist·2024
Same author

You can't always get what you want from pollinators.

The New phytologist·2024
Same author

Why the Shaw-Mohler equation works and when it doesn't.

Biology letters·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Author Spotlight: A High-Resolution, Single-Grain, In Vivo Pollen Hydration Bioassay for Arabidopsis thaliana
07:07

Author Spotlight: A High-Resolution, Single-Grain, In Vivo Pollen Hydration Bioassay for Arabidopsis thaliana

Published on: June 30, 2023

3.3K

OVULE PACKAGING IN STOCHASTIC POLLINATION AND FERTILIZATION ENVIRONMENTS.

Martin Burd1

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544-1003.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|June 9, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Plants often have more ovules per flower than needed, leading to common pollen limitation. This strategy maximizes seed set despite variable pollination success, especially in larger flowers.

Keywords:
Gamete packagingovule number per flowerresource allocationstigmatic pollen load

More Related Videos

Live Imaging of Arabidopsis Pollen Tube Reception and Double Fertilization Using the Semi-In Vitro Cum Septum Method
06:45

Live Imaging of Arabidopsis Pollen Tube Reception and Double Fertilization Using the Semi-In Vitro Cum Septum Method

Published on: February 24, 2023

5.5K
Evaluation of Fertilization State by Tracing Sperm Nuclear Morphology in Arabidopsis Double Fertilization
05:21

Evaluation of Fertilization State by Tracing Sperm Nuclear Morphology in Arabidopsis Double Fertilization

Published on: August 29, 2019

9.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Author Spotlight: A High-Resolution, Single-Grain, In Vivo Pollen Hydration Bioassay for Arabidopsis thaliana
07:07

Author Spotlight: A High-Resolution, Single-Grain, In Vivo Pollen Hydration Bioassay for Arabidopsis thaliana

Published on: June 30, 2023

3.3K
Live Imaging of Arabidopsis Pollen Tube Reception and Double Fertilization Using the Semi-In Vitro Cum Septum Method
06:45

Live Imaging of Arabidopsis Pollen Tube Reception and Double Fertilization Using the Semi-In Vitro Cum Septum Method

Published on: February 24, 2023

5.5K
Evaluation of Fertilization State by Tracing Sperm Nuclear Morphology in Arabidopsis Double Fertilization
05:21

Evaluation of Fertilization State by Tracing Sperm Nuclear Morphology in Arabidopsis Double Fertilization

Published on: August 29, 2019

9.0K

Area of Science:

  • Plant reproductive biology
  • Evolutionary ecology
  • Phenotypic modeling

Background:

  • Plant modular morphology influences reproductive strategies.
  • Ovule packaging in flowers is subject to stochastic pollen capture and fertilization.
  • External agents mediate pollen transfer, introducing variability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To derive a phenotypic model for optimal ovule number per flower.
  • To maximize expected total ovule fertilizations on a plant.
  • To account for random variations in pollination and fertilization.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a phenotypic model.
  • Mathematical derivation to predict ovule number.
  • Comparison of model predictions with published data.

Main Results:

  • The model predicts ovule 'oversupply' relative to pollen tubes in most flowers.
  • Pollen limitation of seed set is predicted to be common.
  • Published data support the model's predictions.

Conclusions:

  • Ovule oversupply is an adaptive strategy to maximize seed production under variable pollination.
  • The model suggests hypotheses relating ovule packaging to floral cost, plant size, and pollen receipt variance.
  • Further research is needed to test these additional hypotheses due to limited existing data.