Fluid Dynamics of Hydrophilous Pollination in Ruppia (widgeon grass)

Abstract

The aim of this work is to understand the physics underlying the mechanisms of two-dimensional aquatic pollen dispersal known as hydrophily. We observed two mechanisms by which the pollen released from male inflorescences of Ruppia is adsorbed on a water surface. Adsorbed pollen masses then combined under the action of capillary forces to form pollen rafts. This increases the probability of pollination since the capillary force on a pollen raft toward a stigma positioned at the water surface is much larger than on a single pollen grain.