Germinating Pollen Under the Microscope
Germinating Pollen (Whole Mount), Magnoliophyta
This slide shows pollen grains that have started to grow pollen tubes, stained with safranin and fast green. Pollen tubes carry sperm cells to the egg, so this slide shows a key step in how flowering plants make seeds.
A whole mount preparation showing germinating pollen grains (Pollen germination W.M.) double-stained with Safranin and Fast Green. Individual pollen grains demonstrate the emergence and elongation of pollen tubes sprouting through germ pores in the sporoderm. The developing pollen tubes extend outwards to facilitate the delivery of male gametes (sperm nuclei) during fertilization. Differential staining highlights the contrast between the thick, exine-covered pollen grain body and the delicate, cytoplasm-filled pollen tubes growing across the mount.
What to look for
- Pollen grains: Small round grains with a thick outer wall.
- Pollen tubes: Thin, thread-like tubes growing out from the grains.
- Germ pores: Thin spots in the grain wall where pollen tubes come out.
- Grain wall and tube: The thick grain wall and the thinner tube take up the two stains differently, which helps them stand out.
At each magnification
Low power (about 4x)
Many small grains scattered across the slide, some with thin threads trailing from them.
Medium power (about 10x)
Pollen tubes of different lengths coming out of individual grains.
High power (about 40x)
The point where each tube leaves the grain and the thickness of the grain wall.
Questions and answers
What is a pollen tube?
A pollen tube is a thin tube that grows out of a pollen grain after it lands on a flower's stigma. It grows down through the style to the ovule and carries the sperm cells to the egg.
What does germinating pollen look like under a microscope?
Germinating pollen looks like round grains with long, thin threads growing out of them. The threads are pollen tubes, and they can be many times longer than the grain itself.
- Category
- Botany & Plants
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Safranin / Fast Green
- Tags
- germinating pollen, pollen germination, pollen tube, germ pore, pollen grain, microspore
Viewing this slide in class
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