Whether by means of the wind, or whether by means of other carriers, male pollens which reach female flower organs have reached the end of their journey. Everything is ready for the forming of the seed. The most important step in sexual reproduction is seed formation. It will be useful to examine this formation, starting right from the general structure of the flower.
In the center of most flowers are one or more carpels, the "female" reproductive parts. The carpel has a swollen end, called the stigma, under which there is a stalk, called the style, and at the bottom an ovary, which contains the blueprint for the seeds.
Pollen coming from male organs lands on the stigma, the surface of which is covered with a sticky liquid, and then reaches the ovary by means of the style. This sticky liquid has a very important function. As long as the pollen grains are unable to reach the ovary beneath the style, they will not be able to fertilise the seeds. This liquid ensures that by making them stick together the pollen does not go to waste. The seed is formed only when male and female reproductive cells come together.
After landing on the stigma, each individual pollen, in other words, each male reproductive cell, develops a thin tube downwards, and enters the ovary through the style. There are two sperm cells in each one of these pollen tubes. The tube grows down, and enters the ovary, and the sperm cells come free. In this way the nucleus of one of the sperm cells unites with the egg in the ovary. This fertilized egg cell develops into the embryo, which will form the seek. The nucleus of the second sperm cell unites with the two nuclei of the central cell and they form a specialized tissue which surrounds and nourishes the embryo. This development is known as fertilisation.
After fertilisation, the egg is wrapped up in a coat, and the embryo enters upon a kind of rest period, and grows to become a seed with the food sources stored around it.
The embryo and the food store surrounding it are actually what we call fruit. These structures possess high levels of proteins and carbohydrates, because their function is to feed the seeds. This being the case, they form an indispensable source of nourishment for both human beings and other living things. Every fruit possesses the best qualities for protecting and nourishing the seeds it contains. The fleshy part, a quantity of water, and the structure of the external skin have the most effective forms for protecting the seed.
There is another important detail here. Each plant can fertilise only another plant of the same species. If a plant's pollen lands on the stigma of another species, the plant understands this and does not allow the pollen to grow out a tube to reach to its ovary; as a result the seed does not develop because there is no fertilisation.20
What kind of environment the embryo seed would develop in, what it would require during the stages of its development, what it would find when it emerged from the soil, what kind of protection it would need, and all other exigencies were thought of in advance, and the seed was designed with these needs in mind. The external layers protecting the seeds (seed coats) are generally very hard. This structure protects the seed from any external threats it will face and exhibits modifications according to the environment in which it is found. For example, in the final stage of the development of some seeds a resistant waxy substance forms on the external surfaces, thanks to which the seeds become resistant to the effects of water and gas.
And the flawless structures in a flower's life do not end here. The seed coats may be covered with different substances according to the species of the plant; for instance, a single bean will be covered in a thin membrane, and a cherry seed will be protected by a hard, woody coat. The coats of seeds which have to be resistant to water are harder and thicker than others. Again, seeds have been given very different shapes and sizes according to their species. The amount of nourishment is different between those seeds which have to last for a long time before sprouting (for example coconut seeds) and those which begin to sprout a short while after coming into contact with water (melon, water melon, etc.).
As we have seen, seeds have very intricate systems to enable them reproduce easily and to endure without any breakdown. The intelligence to be seen in each stage of the systems specially designed for plants to reproduce, is a clear proof that these systems were created by God, the possessor of superior knowledge.
Substances such as vitamins, proteins, and carbohydrates in fruit both protect and feed the seed, and provide an important source of food for other living things. There is an unbelievable variety of fruit and vegetables, which all come from the same dry soil and are watered with the same water. Furthermore, their shapes, tastes, and scents are each a wonder of planning. |