At maturity, a typical angiosperm embryo sac is:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → 8-nucleate and 7-celled
The embryo sac is the female gametophyte of a flowering plant. It forms from the functional megaspore by three free-nuclear mitotic divisions, which give 2, then 4, then 8 nuclei. Cell walls are laid down only after the 8-nucleate stage. Six nuclei get their own walls: three form the egg apparatus (two synergids and one egg cell) and three form the antipodals. The two remaining polar nuclei lie together in the large central cell, so they share one cell. This gives 8 nuclei in 7 cells.
(1) 6-nucleate and 8-celled — Incorrect. Cells cannot outnumber nuclei, because every cell holds at least one nucleus. The embryo sac has 8 nuclei, not 6.
(2) 7-nucleate and 7-celled — Incorrect. The number of cells is right, but the central cell has two polar nuclei, so the nuclei number 8, not 7.
(3) 7-nucleate and 8-celled — Incorrect. Both numbers are wrong. There are 8 nuclei in 7 cells.
(4) 8-nucleate and 7-celled — Correct. Eight nuclei are shared among seven cells, because the two polar nuclei sit in one central cell.
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NCERT Extract:
The Pistil, Megasporangium (ovule) and Embryo Sac – “… Six of the eight nuclei are surrounded by cell walls and organised into cells; the remaining two nuclei, called polar nuclei are situated below the egg apparatus in the large central cell. There is a characteristic distribution of the cells within the embryo sac. Three cells are grouped together at the micropylar end and constitute the egg apparatus. The egg apparatus, in turn, consists of two synergids and one egg cell. The synergids have special cellular thickenings at the micropylar tip called filiform apparatus, which play an important role in guiding the pollen tubes into the synergid. Three cells are at the chalazal end and are called the antipodals. The large central cell, as mentioned earlier, has two polar nuclei. Thus, a typical angiosperm embryo sac, at maturity, though 8-nucleate is 7-celled.”