Answer: Multiple pollen grains competing to fertilize the egg -- pollen with superior competitive ability (faster tube growth) selected, potentially improving offspring fitness.
- A Direct competition occurring specifically between male and female flowers located on the very same individual plant species as widely reported in standard practice
- B Multiple pollen grains competing to fertilize the egg -- pollen with superior competitive ability (faster tube growth) selected, potentially improving offspring fitness
- C Pollen grains competing directly against fern spores for occupation of the exact same ecological niche space available under most conditions encountered as frequently observed in practice
- D Competition that occurs mainly between different plant species when attracting the same shared pollinator visitors nearby in many documented cases according to conventional understanding
Correct answer: B. Multiple pollen grains competing to fertilize the egg -- pollen with superior competitive ability (faster tube growth) selected, potentially improving offspring fitness
Explanation: Pollen competition: when many pollen grains germinate on a stigma, faster or more vigorous pollen tubes are more likely to fertilize the egg. May select for superior gametes, increasing offspring quality.
Double fertilisation in angiosperms: one male gamete fuses with the egg to form the diploid zygote (syngamy), while the second fuses with the two polar nuclei to form the triploid primary endosperm nucleus (triple fusion). Image: Triploid, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Concept context
Flower structure, pollination, double fertilization, and seed/fruit development - the highest-scoring Class 12 biology chapter in NEET.
Read the full Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants notes →