noun
- Self-fertilization in plants, in which pollen from the same flower or plant fertilizes the ovules.
Usage: biology; botany
Examples
- Autogamy occurs in many plant species that lack mechanisms to prevent self-pollination.
- Pea plants studied by Mendel are capable of autogamy, allowing them to self-fertilize.
- Some flowers have evolved structures that promote autogamy when cross-pollination fails.
- Autogamy can reduce genetic diversity in plant populations over successive generations.
- The process of autogamy is common in wheat and barley crops.