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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1982 Jan;79(2):510–514. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.2.510

Simulated and empiric wind pollination patterns of conifer ovulate cones

Karl J Niklas 1
PMCID: PMC345773  PMID: 16593147

Abstract

Wind tunnel analyses of conifer ovulate cones indicate that the total geometry of the cone enhances the probability of pollen entrapment. Aerodynamic characteristics of cone scale-bract complexes are such that suspended pollen is directed toward the micropyles of attached ovules. Within the taxa examined, there appears to be a preferential entrapment by ovulate cones of pollen of the same species. The data are interpreted as evidence for an aerodynamic reciprocity between wind-suspended pollen and the structure of ovulate cones which increases the frequency of pollination and the potential for fertilization.

Keywords: ecology, aerodynamics, wind tunnel, pollen, pine

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These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Niklas K. J. Simulated wind pollination and airflow around ovules of some early seed plants. Science. 1981 Jan 16;211(4479):275–277. doi: 10.1126/science.211.4479.275. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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