cross-fertilization
- noun
- /ˈkrɔsˌfɜr.tɪl.ɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
- Specialized
:
fecundación cruzada
- The botanist explained how cross-fertilization occurs when insects transfer pollen from one flower to another.
Examples
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The botanist explained how cross-fertilization happens naturally when insects carry pollen between flowers.
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Some animals depend on cross-fertilization to maintain healthy populations and avoid inbreeding.
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Cross-fertilization in plants increases genetic diversity, leading to stronger and more adaptable offspring.
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The biologist studied cross-fertilization in marine organisms.
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Many plants rely on cross-fertilization for genetic diversity.
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Cross-fertilization in plants increases genetic diversity, leading to stronger and more adaptable offspring.
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Many plants rely on cross-fertilization to produce seeds that are healthier and more resilient.
Synonyms
27
4.0
A sperm or pollen joins a female cell to start a new living thing
4
6.2
Animals or plants from different groups produce mixed young
2
4.4
Mixing different kinds of animals or plants to make young with chosen traits
1
7.7
When sperm or pollen fertilize a female reproductive cell to start a new organism
Pollen moving from one flower to another to make seeds
When a sperm cell joins an egg cell to make a new embryo
A mating of animals or plants from different genetic lines, including the young it produces
A process in which different breeds or groups mate to make hybrid young
Mixing different breeds to make animals or plants with mixed traits
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
cross-fertilization = cross + fertilization (transparent) = cross + fertilize + ation
This is a literal compound: fertilization that occurs between different individuals, so the meaning is directly derived from its parts.
Etymology
Cross-fertilization comes from the parts cross meaning 'between' and fertilize meaning 'to make fertile'. In biology it is when an egg from one individual is fertilized by sperm from another, like pollen moving between flowers, and that mixing gives offspring more variety and often makes them stronger.