2025 Sexual Reproduction in Flowering PlantsMicrosporangium and Tapetum Medium Question 12 of 126 in Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

Assertion (A): Cells of the tapetum possess dense cytoplasm and generally have more than one nucleus.

Reason (R): Presence of more than one nucleus in the tapetum increases the efficiency of nourishing the developing microspore mother cells.
A Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
B Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
C A is true but R is false
D A is false but R is true

The answer is C.

Solution

Assertion is true; Reason is false (tapetum nourishes developing microspores / pollen grains, and polyploidy arises due to endomitosis without cytokinesis, not MMC nourishment efficiency).

Tapetal cells feature dense cytoplasm and multinucleate or polyploid state due to endomitosis. Tapetum primarily functions to nourish developing microspores/pollen grains. Stating that multinucleation specifically evolved to nourish microspore mother cells is incorrect.

Concept Tapetum Morphology and Function

Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants in past papers

126 questions from this chapter have appeared across 26 exam years.