In flowering plants, which of the following structures serves as nutritive tissue for the developing embryo?

Introduction / Context:
In angiosperms, or flowering plants, sexual reproduction leads to the formation of seeds that contain an embryo and usually a food reserve. This stored food is used by the embryo during germination and early growth until the young plant can perform photosynthesis. Understanding which tissue functions as this nutritive material is a key topic in plant reproduction and seed biology. This question asks you to identify the structure that primarily provides nutrition to the developing embryo within the seed.

Given Data / Assumptions:
• The options are ovule, zygote, ovary, and endosperm. • The focus is on nutritive tissue for the growing embryo. • Standard life cycle of angiosperms is assumed.

Concept / Approach:
In flowering plants, double fertilization occurs. One male gamete fuses with the egg cell to form the zygote, which develops into the embryo. The other male gamete fuses with two polar nuclei to form the endosperm, a triploid nutritive tissue. The endosperm supplies food to the developing embryo inside the seed. The ovule is the structure that becomes the seed, and the ovary becomes the fruit, but neither is specifically the nutritive tissue itself. Therefore, the correct answer is endosperm, which is the specialized tissue that supports embryo development.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that fertilization in flowering plants involves one male gamete forming the zygote and another forming the endosperm. Step 2: Understand that the zygote grows into the plant embryo. Step 3: Recognize that the endosperm develops as a nutritive tissue rich in starch, oils, or proteins. Step 4: Note that the ovule is the entire structure that becomes the seed and the ovary becomes the fruit, but these terms are broader than the specific nutritive tissue. Step 5: Select endosperm as the tissue that directly nourishes the growing embryo.

Verification / Alternative check:
Common foods such as wheat, rice, and maize grain are largely composed of endosperm tissue, which is rich in stored nutrients. In many seeds, the embryo is embedded in the endosperm, and this tissue is consumed during germination. Botanical descriptions of angiosperm reproduction consistently identify endosperm as the nutrient storage tissue for the embryo. These observations confirm that endosperm is the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (Ovule) is incorrect because the ovule is the entire structure that, after fertilization, develops into the seed; it is not itself the nutritive tissue. Option B (Zygote) is incorrect because the zygote develops into the embryo, which is the structure being nourished, not the source of nutrition. Option C (Ovary) is incorrect because the ovary develops into the fruit that protects the seeds and does not function as internal nutritive tissue for the embryo.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes mix up the zygote and the endosperm, assuming that the newly formed embryo is also the food source. Others may choose ovule because it becomes the seed and they associate seeds with stored food. It is important to distinguish between the overall structure and the specific nutritive tissue. The endosperm is specially designed to store food for the developing embryo inside the seed.

Final Answer:
The structure that serves as nutritive tissue for the developing embryo is the endosperm.