Birds Nest Orchid Seeds, Sem
by Meckes/ottawa
Title
Birds Nest Orchid Seeds, Sem
Artist
Meckes/ottawa
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Color-enhanced Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) showing seeds from the bird's nest orchid (Neottia nidus-avis). Almost all orchids have tiny seeds. Each plant produces hundreds of thousands to millions of seeds in a seed capsule. Due to their small size, the seeds of orchids are reduced to only a shell and an embryo. In contrast to other seeds, orchids lack an endosperm which is necessary for successful germination. Instead, orchids are dependent on a symbiotic relationship with fungi. In this process, germination begins when the embryo is infected by the penetration of fungal hyphae into the seeds. The embryo uses this connection to get nutrients by digesting parts of the mushroom body or excretions of the fungus. Magnification 83x when printed at 10 cm wide.
Uploaded
May 19th, 2021
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