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Several gametophytes growing in a terrarium Pine gametophyte (outside) surrounding the embryo (inside) A gametophyte (/ ɡ ə ˈ m iː t ə f aɪ t /) is one of the two alternating multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants and algae. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore that has one set of
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 a gametophyte. Both the spores and the resulting gametophyte are haploid, meaning they only have one set of chromosomes.
All spores the same size (homospory or isospory). Horsetails (species of Equisetum) have spores which are all of the same size. [28] Spores of two distinct sizes (heterospory or anisospory): larger megaspores and smaller microspores. When the two kinds of spore are produced in different kinds of sporangia, these are called megasporangia and ...
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 ...
At least one of the spores develop into haploid female gametophytes, the megagametophytes. [1] The megaspore mother cell arises within the megasporangium tissue. In flowering plants the megasporangium is also called the nucellus , and the female gametophyte is sometimes called the embryo sac or embryonic sac .
In exosporic species, the smaller spores germinate into free-living male gametophytes and the larger spores germinate into free-living female gametophytes. In endosporic species, the gametophytes of both sexes are very highly reduced and contained within the spore wall. The microspores of both exosporic and endosporic species are free-sporing ...
Gametogenesis is a biological process by which diploid or haploid precursor cells undergo cell division and differentiation to form mature haploid gametes.Depending on the biological life cycle of the organism, gametogenesis occurs by meiotic division of diploid gametocytes into various gametes, or by mitosis.
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 ]