self-fertilization

[self-fur-tl-uh-zey-shuhn, self-]

noun

1. Botany.,  fertilization of an ovum of a plant by a male gamete from the same flower (cross-fertilization ).

2. Zoology.,  fertilization of the ovum of a hermaphroditic animal by a sperm from the same individual, as in some species of tapeworm.

self-fertilization

noun

1. fertilization in a plant or animal by the fusion of male and female gametes produced by the same individual Compare cross-fertilization

self-fertilization

1. Fertilization that occurs when male and female gametes produced by the same organism unite. Self-fertilization occurs in many protozoans and invertebrate animals. It results from self-pollination in plants. Self-fertilization allows an isolated individual organism to reproduce but restricts the genetic diversity of a community.

2. Compare cross-fertilization

Other Word Forms

• self-fertilized adjective
• self-fertilizing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-fertilization¹

First recorded in 1855–60