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Q.Draw the structure of T.S. of mature anther and label its parts.

Tamil Nadu DgeTamil Nadu HSC (DGE) Board 2020Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
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Figure — The stem asks to draw and label a T.S. of a mature anther; the answer needs the four microsporangia, central c
Figure — The stem asks to draw and label a T.S. of a mature anther; the answer needs the four microsporangia, central c

A T.S. of a mature anther shows two lobes joined by a connective, each lobe with two pollen sacs bounded by a four-layered wall (epidermis, endothecium, middle layers, tapetum) enclosing pollen grains.

Since a diagram cannot be rendered here, the structure of a T.S. of a mature anther is described part by part, as it would be labelled:

  • Overall shape: in transverse section, the anther is typically tetragonal (four-sided/four-lobed in outline) and bilobed, i.e. it consists of two theca (lobes) held together in the middle.
  • Connective: the central sterile tissue that joins the two lobes of the anther; it contains a vascular strand (vascular bundle) that supplies nutrients to the developing pollen sacs.
  • Microsporangia (pollen sacs): each lobe (theca) of the anther contains two microsporangia, so a mature anther typically has four microsporangia (pollen sacs) in total, arranged in two pairs, one pair per lobe.
  • Anther wall (from outside to inside): each microsporangium is bounded by a wall of four distinct layers --
    1. Epidermis: the outermost, single-layered protective covering.
    2. Endothecium: the layer just beneath the epidermis; its cells develop fibrous (radial) thickenings that help the anther dehisce (split open) at maturity to release pollen.
    3. Middle layers: 2-3 thin-walled layers lying between the endothecium and the tapetum; they get crushed and disappear as the anther matures. …

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