Question

Do the antipodal cells in an embryo have any function apart from disintegrating? During chalazogamous fertilization does the pollen tube fertilize the antipodal cells or the egg cell between the synergid cells?

If the answer is yes to either of the questions please provide a source, thank you :)

Answer 1

I thought that the antipodal cells had more of a function, but when I was looking for sources I couldn't find a website that agreed with me, oddly enough. Maybe I'm thinking of the synergid cells. Anyway, the second question isn't a yes or no question.

The answer is that the tube fertilizes the egg cell between the synergid cells. Unluckily for me, my source doesn't have the copy and paste option, aha. Anyway, it says "...the pollen tube either passes between a synergid and the egg cell or enters into one of the synergids through filiform apparatus."

http://books.google.com/books?id=nAOYB6MNkQQC&pg=SA1-PA35&lpg=SA1-PA35&dq=During+chalazogamous+fertilization+does+the+pollen+tube+fertilize+the+antipodal+cells+or+the+egg+cell+between+the+synergid+cells?&source=bl&ots=AlKThnhlQi&sig=7WmAWtBv7eHVdN3s4S_pOfZtAd4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wYkTVIzwDfeBsQT2oYHQCg&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=During%20chalazogamous%20fertilization%20does%20the%20pollen%20tube%20fertilize%20the%20antipodal%20cells%20or%20the%20egg%20cell%20between%20the%20synergid%20cells%3F&f=false

Part three on the linked page. Go nuts. ;)

Answer 2

http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1534580712002456/1-s2.0-S1534580712002456-main.pdf?_tid=c4d88852-3b66-11e4-82f9-00000aab0f01&acdnat=1410627510_7906e3477aa0b12af493ebbf3b468fa0