Looking for classes? Ksquare Career Institute, Bengaluru →
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
Explanation
Assertion is true; Reason is false (tapetum nourishes developing microspores / pollen grains, and polyploidy arises due to endomitosis without cytokinesis, not MMC nourishment efficiency).
Detailed Solution
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.