Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Exosporic gametophytes can either be bisexual, capable of producing both sperm and eggs in the same thallus , or specialized into separate male and female organisms (dioicous). In heterosporous vascular plants (plants that produce both microspores and megaspores), the gametophytes develop endosporically (within the spore wall).
A female pinecone produces the megaspores of this heterosporic plant. A male pinecone produces the microspores of this heterosporic plant. Heterospory is the production of spores of two different sizes and sexes by the sporophytes of land plants. The smaller of these, the microspore, is male and the larger megaspore is
Microscopic photo of spores (in red) of Selaginella. The large three spores at the top are megaspores whereas the numerous smaller red spores at the bottom are microspores. Microspores are land plant spores that develop into male gametophytes, whereas megaspores develop into female gametophytes. [1]
The development of the embryo and gametophytes is called embryology. The study of pollens which persist in soil for many years is called palynology. Reproduction occurs when male and female gametophytes interact. This generally requires an external agent such as wind or insects to carry the pollen from the stamen to the vicinity of the ovule.
In flowering plants, the gametophytes are very reduced in size, and are represented by the germinated pollen and the embryo sac. The sporophyte produces spores (hence the name) by meiosis, a process also known as "reduction division" that reduces the number of chromosomes in each spore mother cell by half. The resulting meiospores develop into ...
If the spores are deposited onto a suitable moist substrate they germinate to produce short, thin, free-living gametophytes called prothalli that are typically heart-shaped, small and green in color. The gametophytes produce both motile sperm in the antheridia and egg cells in separate archegonia. After rains or when dew deposits a film of ...
Location of ovules inside a Helleborus foetidus flower. In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the integument, forming its outer layer, the nucellus (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the female gametophyte (formed from a haploid megaspore) in its center.
The retention of gametophytes within the spore wall additionally provided advantages for selection in ecological settings after fertilization. The support provided by the spore wall, which is similar but not as advanced as an ovule, increased reproductive success allowing for strong selective advantages during competition. Larger, enclosed ...