What is meant by "pollination"?

Pollination refers specifically to the transfer of pollen grains from the anther, which is the male part of a flower, to the stigma, the receptive female part. This process is crucial for sexual reproduction in flowering plants, as it enables fertilization to occur. Once the pollen lands on a compatible stigma, it can lead to the production of seeds, resulting in the next generation of plants. Understanding pollination is important as it plays a vital role in the reproductive cycle of many plants, as well as in agriculture and ecosystems, as it directly affects fruit and seed production.

In contrast, the other choices describe different processes: seed formation is a result of successful fertilization following pollination; absorption of nutrients from the soil relates to how plants acquire the essential minerals and water needed for growth; and the growth of new flowers pertains to vegetative reproduction, which does not involve pollination. Each of these processes is important in the life cycle of plants but does not define the specific action of pollination itself.