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self-fertilization
[ self-fur-tl-uh-zey-shuhn, self- ]
noun
- Botany. fertilization of an ovum of a plant by a male gamete from the same flower ( cross-fertilization ).
- Zoology. fertilization of the ovum of a hermaphroditic animal by a sperm from the same individual, as in some species of tapeworm.
self-fertilization
noun
- fertilization in a plant or animal by the fusion of male and female gametes produced by the same individual Compare cross-fertilization
self-fertilization
/ sĕlf′fûr′tl-ĭ-zā′shən /
- Fertilization that occurs when male and female gametes produced by the same organism unite. Self-fertilization occurs in many protozoans and invertebrate animals. It results from self-pollination in plants. Self-fertilization allows an isolated individual organism to reproduce but restricts the genetic diversity of a community.
- Compare cross-fertilization
Derived Forms
- ˌself-ˈfertiˌlized, adjective
- ˌself-ˈfertiˌlizing, adjective
Other Words From
- self-ferti·lized adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of self-fertilization1
Example Sentences
Among a handful of species exist hermaphrodites capable of self-fertilization.
The researchers tried to collect additional mushrooms in New Jersey and New York, where the fungus is spreading less quickly, but they didn’t find evidence of self-fertilization.
For plants such as tomatoes and peppers, that must be done by hand, a truly laborious task, especially if the flower has to have its pollen parts removed first to avoid self-fertilization.
The new move would be no surprise to Charles Darwin, who in 1876 suggested that flowers in places with few pollinators would likely engage in self-fertilization.
Modern maize breeders have systematically reduced the effects of this constant mutational pressure through artificial selection and self-fertilization, which have exposed rare recessive variants in elite inbred lines5.
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