Anther

If you look inside a normal flower, you will notice that it is composed of numerous microscopic pieces. The stamen is the male reproductive organ of a flower. It is made up of a long tube called a filament that ends in a pollen-producing structure. The anther is an oval-shaped structure. It is critical for blooming plant reproduction because it produces the male gametophyte known as pollen. It is just as important in botany to study the parts and functions of flowers as it is to study plants. The anther is a flower component. Let’s begin by familiarising ourselves with the components of a flower: the pistil, stamen, receptacle, peduncle, and sepal. It is critical to comprehend the reproductive elements of the flower in order to define Anther. The pistil is the female reproductive component of a flower, consisting of the stigma, style, and ovary. And the stamen is the male reproductive portion of the flower. The anther is connected to the stamen, which is a component of a flower’s male reproductive system. The male stamen structure is made up of a filament, which is a long tube with an oval-shaped pollen-producing component called the anther attached to the apex. In flowering plants, the anther is entirely responsible for generating and bearing pollen that is used for fertilisation. Pollination does not begin until the anther produces pollen.

Function of Anther

The anthers are necessary because they assist the flower in producing pollen. The flower cannot replicate without the anthers generating pollen.

The strands of the stamen support the anthers above and distant from the flower’s main body. This is to allow passing pollinators, such as bees, to come into contact with the anther. This means that pollen is transferred to the pollinator’s microscopic hairs. The pollinator transmits pollen from one plant to the next as it travels between them. When the bee buzzes along to another flower, pollen falls onto the flower’s female organs.

Parts of Flower

• Petal – the petals of a plant are typically vividly coloured to attract insects. They are quite lovely, which is why we enjoy having flowers in our gardens and houses.
• Anther – produces pollen that is required for reproduction.
• The stamen is the male component of a flower, consisting of the anther and the filament.
• The filament is the portion of the stamen that supports the anther and allows pollinators to brush up against it.
• Stigma – the stigma is the top of the female section of the flower where pollinators deposit pollen grains.
• Ovary – the ovaries are responsible for protecting the female sex cells.
• Ovule – the ovules contain the female sex cells.
• Nectary – generates nectar, a sweet solution that attracts and feeds insects.
• Sepal – this shields the flower before it blooms.

Transverse Section of the Anther of a Flower

The anther, or fertile portion of the stamen, is often composed of two lobes or thecas joined by a connective. Each lobe comprises two longitudinally oriented pollen chambers. Each chamber containing pollen or pollen grains is also referred to as a microspore, and so these chambers are referred to as microsporangium.

The pollen sac or pollen chambers are surrounded by four layers in total: the epidermis, the inner epidermis or endothecium, the intermediate layer, and the tapetum.

• The epidermis is the outermost layer and is composed of a single layer of thickened fibrous substance that serves to protect the pollen sacs.
• The endothecium, or inner epidermis, is a single layer of radially elongated cells that forms a fibrous thickening of cellulose, pectin, and lignin surrounding the sac, which keeps it together and prevents it from splitting or bursting open.
• The intermediate layer is a three- to four-layered thin-walled cell located directly below the endothecium that nourishes the microspore and aids in pollen formation.
• The fourth layer, nearest to the pollen sac, is nutritive, providing nutrients necessary for pollen division and production.

The anther with two thecas is referred to as a dithecous anther, and it is quite frequent. Dithecous refers to a creature with two thecas or lobes; it is sometimes referred to as bilobed. Solanum and Crotalaria are two examples of flowers with bilobed or dithecous anthers. Certain flowers, on the other hand, have only one lobe or theca that generates pollen. These are referred to as monothecous anthers. Hibiscus is an example of a monothecous anther.

Reproduction in Plants

Essentially, plants are sexually reproducing organisms. As mentioned previously, angiospermic plants have male and female reproductive components called stamen and carpel. Male and female reproductive portions of the flower may be present in the same flower (monoecious) or in separate flowers (dioecious) (dioecious). Androecious refers to a flower that has only male reproductive components.

While gynoecious refers to a flower that contains only female reproductive parts. Occasionally, a flower will have both reproductive organs but one of them, the stamen or the carpel, will be defunct (an adaptive feature to prevent self-pollination). These flowers are referred to as staminate (carpels that are not functional) or pistillate (non-functional stamens). Pollination is necessary for sexual reproduction to occur. Pollination is the process by which a flower’s male gametes (pollen sac) are transported to the stigma of a suitable female reproductive portion. Pollination is accomplished through a variety of natural and environmental sources. Wind, water, animals, and birds all act as pollinators for various plant species.

Once the stigma receives the pollen grain from the pollen sac, it germinates, forming a long, slender pollen tube that transports the two male gametes to the ovary, where they combine with the female gamete to form the zygote and endosperm nuclei. Additionally, it is denoted as 2n + 3n. The flower then matures, losing its carpel, petals, and other non-essential floral elements as the ovary grows and develops into the fruit. The ovule develops into the seed, which includes the embryo and endosperm for the embryo’s development.

Conclusion

Because the primary function of the anther is to help reproduction through pollination, the base of the stamen contains nectaries that attract pollinators such as insects, primarily bees such as bumblebees, to perform this role. The nectaries supply sustenance for these pollinators as a thank you from nature for their work. Water, wind, animals, and birds all contribute to the pollination process via the anther. Microsporangium or pollen mother cells refer to the microspore bearing pollen sac that generates pollen.