self-fertilization
Americannoun
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Botany. fertilization of an ovum of a plant by a male gamete from the same flower (opposed to cross-fertilization).
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Zoology. fertilization of the ovum of a hermaphroditic animal by a sperm from the same individual, as in some species of tapeworm.
noun
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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.
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Compare cross-fertilization
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-fertilization
First recorded in 1855–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Among a handful of species exist hermaphrodites capable of self-fertilization.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2024
Many species of plants, including the sunflower pictured here, are capable of self-fertilization.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
As convenient as it might sound to forego the headaches of courting a mate, the team points out that self-fertilization comes at a cost: the isolated worms produced fewer hatchlings with lower survival rates.
From Science Magazine ● Jul. 1, 2015
Many species have specific mechanisms in place to prevent self-fertilization, because it is an extreme form of inbreeding and usually produces less fit offspring.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013
I have already mentioned its small corolla, surpassed by the lobes of the calyx and its capacity of self-fertilization.
From Species and Varieties, Their Origin by Mutation by Hugo de Vries
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
