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ENERGY DISTRIBUTION IN REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURES OF AMARYLLIS
Author(s) -
Smith Carey A.,
Evenson William E.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1978.tb06128.x
Subject(s) - stamen , biology , ovule , pollen , botany , ovary , horticulture , endocrinology
Energy content of tissue produced in male and female reproductive structures as well as in associated flower parts of Amaryllis was measured with an oxygen bomb calorimeter. In typical flowers, 6.6% of their total energy (2,880 cal) was in pollen, 4.9% in anther walls, 4.6% in ovules and placentae, and 12.6% in ovary walls and septa. Ovules were estimated to contain only about one‐third as much energy as pollen. Mature seeds typically contained about 100 times as much energy as ovules. Total energy in mature seeds per flower was approximately equal to total energy in flower tissues. Proportional allocation of anther energy to pollen increased with anther size. The biological significance of these results is discussed.