noun
self-fertilization; autogamy
Technical term in botany and biology for fertilization within the same individual, especially in plants. Contrasts with 他家受精 (cross-fertilization).
See also: 他家受精
この植物は自家受精によって種子を作る。
This plant produces seeds by self-fertilization.
Self-fertilization results in lower genetic diversity compared to cross-fertilization.
他家受精 means cross-fertilization (between different individuals), the opposite of 自家受精.
Compound of 自家 (self, one's own) and 受精 (fertilization). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is a modern scientific coinage.