Question on: JAMB Biology - 2001

Inbreeding in plants refers to the mating of closely related individuals, which leads to a reduction in genetic diversity.

• Hermaphrodites have both male and female reproductive structures in the same flower or on the same plant. This self-compatibility significantly increases the likelihood of self-pollination and thus inbreeding.

Let's look at why the other options are incorrect:

• Dioecious plants have separate male and female plants, making self-pollination impossible and thus discouraging inbreeding.
• Protandrous refers to a condition where the male parts of a flower mature before the female parts, which can encourage cross-pollination.
• Monoecious plants have separate male and female flowers on the same plant, which can sometimes lead to self-poll

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