The Brazil nut tree, Bertholletia excels, is native to tropical rain forests of South America. Scientists have discovered that the pale yellow flowers of Brazil nut trees cannot fertilize themselves and admit only female orchid bees as pollinators. If a female orchid bee has just left a Brazil nut tree with nectar in her stomach, and if she visits another flower on a different Brazil nut tree, what is the sequence in which the following events should occur?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct sequence for pollination and fertilization in flowering plants, including the Brazil nut tree, starts with pollen transfer from one flower to the stigma of another. After the pollen lands on the stigma, the pollen tube emerges from the pollen grain and grows down the style towards the ovary, entering the micropyle (an opening in the ovule). Finally, double fertilization occurs, where one sperm fertilizes the egg, forming a zygote, and the other fuses with two other nuclei to form the endosperm.

The Brazil Nut Tree, Bertholletia Excels, Is Native to Tropical