A researcher has developed two stains to use for visualizing different tissues of seed plants. One stains sporophyte tissue blue; the other stains gametophyte tissue red. If the researcher exposes pollen grains to both stains, and then rinses away the excess stain, what will he/she/they most likely observe?
A) The pollen grains will be pure red.
B) The pollen grains will be pure blue.
C) The pollen grains will have red interiors and blue exteriors.
D) The pollen grains will have blue interiors and red exteriors.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pollen grains are produced by the sporophyte tissue of seed plants, so they will stain blue. However, the pollen grains also contain gametophyte tissue, which will stain red. Therefore, the pollen grains will have red interiors and blue exteriors.

A Researcher Has Developed Two Stains to Use for Visualizing