Self pollination occurs in plants with both male and female flowers. The plant can pollinate itself, but only with the genes it already has. ... Overall, self pollination reduces variation by limiting the available pool of allele types to work with.

Does self pollination reduce genetic diversity?

Many flowering plants prevent inbreeding and increase genetic diversity by a process called self-incompatibility, in which pollination fails to set seed if the pollen is identified as its own by the pistil. ...

What pollination variation is produced?

In contrast, cross-pollination—or out-crossing—leads to greater genetic diversity because the microgametophyte and megagametophyte are derived from different plants. Because cross-pollination allows for more genetic diversity, plants have developed many ways to avoid self-pollination.