Pre Fertilisation Structures And Events

The biopolymer sporopollenin is the major component of the outer wall in pollen and spores. It is highly resistant to physical, chemical, and biological
treatments and is insoluble in both aqueous and organic solvents. While the stability and resistance of sporopollenin account for the preservation of ancient pollen grains for millions of years with nearly full retention of morphology, these same qualities make it extremely difficult to study the chemical structure of sporopollenin. At present, fatty acid derivatives and phenolics are thought to be its monomeric building blocks, but the precise structure, biosynthetic route, and genetics of sporopollenin are poorly understood.