sporopollenin

(noun)

a combination of biopolymers observed in the tough outer layer of the spore and pollen wall

Related Terms

  • gametangium
  • syngamy
  • sporophyte
  • gametophyte
  • Charales

Examples of sporopollenin in the following topics:

  • Sporophytes and Gametophytes in Seedless Plants

    • The spores of seedless plants are surrounded by thick cell walls containing a tough polymer known as sporopollenin.
    • Sporopollenin is unusually resistant to chemical and biological degradation.
    • In seed plants, which use pollen to transfer the male sperm to the female egg, the toughness of sporopollenin explains the existence of well-preserved pollen fossils.
    • Sporopollenin was once thought to be an innovation of land plants; however, the green algae, Coleochaetes, also forms spores that contain sporopollenin.
  • Charales

    • Green algae in the order Charales, and the coleochaetes, microscopic green algae that enclose their spores in sporopollenin, are considered the closest-living relatives of embryophytes.
    • They produce the compounds lignin and sporopollenin.
  • Bryophytes

    • Some spores protected by sporopollenin have survived and are attributed to early bryophytes.
  • Sexual Reproduction in Angiosperms

    • The exine contains sporopollenin, a complex waterproofing substance supplied by the tapetal cells.
    • Sporopollenin allows the pollen to survive under unfavorable conditions and to be carried by wind, water, or biological agents without undergoing damage.
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