Double fertilization 2026-10-14
In the common angiosperm arrangement, one sperm fuses with the ovum to form a diploid zygote; another fuses with the central biological cell's two polar cell nuclei, initiating endosperm with three chromosome sets. The zygote develops into a plant embryo, and the ovule develops into a seed.[ref]
For an original counting example, stipulate a plant with chromosomes and the common two-polar-nucleus arrangement. Each haploid sperm and ovum contributes . The zygote therefore has chromosomes, while the initiating endosperm cell nucleus has . The maternal seed coat remains derived from plant tissue; the whole seed has no single uniform chromosome count. This is bookkeeping for a stipulated example, not identification of a particular species. It follows by counting the chromosome sets entering each fusion, rather than assigning one count to everything enclosed by a seed coat.
Seed Created 2026-10-14 Updated 2026-10-14
A seed packages a plant embryo, a seed food reserve and a protective seed coat. It is a living starting point for a new plant, not merely stored food. In a mature pea seed, the large cotyledons hold reserves; other seeds retain substantial endosperm. These are alternative arrangements, not successive germination stages.[ref]
Figure 1. . Original schematic sections, not microscope images or scale drawings. Cotyledons belong to the plant embryo; endosperm is a distinct plant tissue. Details.
A useful reading exercise is to identify both the future plant and its initial food supply in each drawing. The large yellow area has the same role in both pictures, but it belongs to different plant tissues. Thus location and function alone do not establish tissue identity.