Fertilisation in plants

Describe the process of fertilisation in a flower.
Explain what happens to the ovule and the ovary after fertilisation, describing their development into seeds and fruits.
Explain the function of the fruit in protecting and helping to disperse the seeds.

The stages in fertilisation are:
1. Pollen Lands:
2. After pollination (by wind or insects), a pollen grain lands on the stigma of the correct type of flower.
3. Pollen Tube Grows: The pollen grain grows a tiny tube down through the style, heading towards the ovary.
4. Nuclei Travel: The nucleus (containing the male genetic information) from the pollen grain travels down this tube.
5. Joining Together: Inside the ovary are ovules, each containing a female nucleus. The pollen tube reaches an ovule, and the male nucleus joins with the female nucleus.
This joining of the male nucleus (from the pollen) and the female nucleus (in the ovule) is called fertilisation.

After fertilisation happens:
- The fertilised ovule develops into a seed.
- The ovary surrounding the ovule(s) develops into a fruit.
Think about an apple: The fleshy part you eat is the fruit (developed from the flower's ovary), and the pips inside are the seeds (developed from the fertilised ovules).
Fruits protect the seeds and help them spread.
Many things we call vegetables, like tomatoes and cucumbers, are technically fruits because they develop from the flower's ovary and contain seeds.

Pollen grain: Contains the male nucleus, which lands on the stigma during pollination.
Stigma: The receptive tip of the carpel where pollen lands.
Pollen tube: A tube that grows from a pollen grain down through the style to the ovary, carrying the male nucleus.
Ovule: Contains the female nucleus and is located inside the ovary; develops into a seed after fertilisation.
Ovary: The part of the flower that contains the ovules; develops into a fruit after fertilisation.
Nucleus: Contains the genetic material; the male nucleus from the pollen joins with the female nucleus in the ovule during fertilisation.
Fertilisation: The joining of the male nucleus (from the pollen) with the female nucleus (in the ovule).
Seed: Develops from a fertilised ovule and contains the embryo of a new plant.
Fruit: Develops from the ovary after fertilisation and usually contains and protects the seeds.

Research different methods of seed dispersal (e.g., by wind, animals, water, or explosion) and find examples of fruits that are specifically adapted for each method.
Explore the botanical definition of a fruit (a structure that develops from the ovary and contains seeds) and compare it with the common culinary definition, providing examples of foods that fit one definition but not the other.