Typical Anther — Bilobed, Dithecous, Tetrasporangiate, Four Wall Layers
📚 Practice ConceptA typical anther is bilobed, dithecous and tetrasporangiate. Pollen grains develop inside the microsporangia. Four wall layers, the epidermis, endothecium, middle layers and the tapetum surround the microsporangium. Cells of the sporogenous tissue lying in the centre of the microsporangium, undergo meiosis (microsporogenesis) to form tetrads of microspores. Individual microspores mature into pollen grains. Pollen grains represents the male gametophytic generation. The pollen grains have a two-layered wall, the outer exine and inner intine. The exine is made up of sporopollenin and has germ pores. Pollen grains may have two cells (a vegetative cell and generative cell) or three cells (a vegetative cell and two male gametes) at the time of shedding.
The four wall layers of a microsporangium, from outer to inner, are tapetum, middle layers, endothecium and epidermis.
Outer to inner: EPIDERMIS → ENDOTHECIUM → MIDDLE LAYERS → TAPETUM. Tapetum is the INNERMOST layer (nutritive), not outermost.
Wall layers OUT→IN: EPIDERMIS (outer) → ENDOTHECIUM → MIDDLE LAYERS → TAPETUM (inner, nutritive). E-E-M-T.
- A typical anther is BILOBED, DITHECOUS, TETRASPORANGIATE (4 microsporangia).
- Four wall layers outer to inner: EPIDERMIS → ENDOTHECIUM → MIDDLE LAYERS → TAPETUM.
- Tapetum is INNERMOST and NUTRITIVE — dense cytoplasm, often multinucleate; nourishes developing microspores.
- Pollen wall: exine (sporopollenin) + intine (cellulose + pectin); pollen shed at 2-cell or 3-cell stage.
Arrange the following events in the correct chronological sequence during pre-fertilisation development in the anther: 1. Differentiation of sporogenous tissue 2. Formation of microsporangia 3. Archesporial cell formation 4. Division of parietal layer to form wall layers 5. Tapetum development
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Correct answer: D — 2 → 3 → 4 → 1 → 5
Correct sequence (D): (2) FORMATION OF MICROSPORANGIA first → (3) ARCHESPORIAL CELLS appear within them → (4) Archesporial cells DIVIDE PERICLINALLY → parietal layer (which divides further into epidermis/endothecium/middle layers) AND sporogenous tissue → (1) SPOROGENOUS TISSUE differentiates → (5) TAPETUM develops as the innermost wall layer (nutritive). Answer D = 2 → 3 → 4 → 1 → 5. Key insight: microsporangia are the developmental container, formed before archesporial cells inside them.
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