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A gametangium (pl.: gametangia) is a sex organ or cell in which gametes are produced that is found in many multicellular protists, algae, fungi, and the gametophytes of plants. In contrast to gametogenesis in animals , a gametangium is a haploid structure and formation of gametes does not involve meiosis .
Female gametophytes of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Gametophores are prominent structures in seedless plants on which the reproductive organs are borne. [citation needed] [1] The word gametophore (more accurately gametangiophore) is composed of the greek ‘gamete-,’ referring (loosely) to gametangia [citation needed] and ‘-phore’ (Greek Φορά, "to be carried"). [2]
The result is a multi-cellular haploid organism, called the gametophyte (because it produces gametes at maturity). [17] When it reaches maturity, the gametophyte produces one or more gametangia (singular: gametangium) which are the organs that produce haploid gametes. At least one kind of gamete possesses some mechanism for reaching another ...
[1] [2] Both monoicous (/ m ɒ ˈ n oʊ ə k ə s /) [3] and dioicous gametophytes produce gametes in gametangia by mitosis rather than meiosis, so that sperm and eggs are genetically identical with their parent gametophyte. It has been suggested that monoicy may have benefits in dry habitats where the ability to produce sporophytes is limited ...
The life cycle of land plants involves alternation of generations between a sporophyte and a haploid gametophyte. [25] The gametophyte produces sperm or egg cells by mitosis. The sporophyte produces spores by meiosis, which in turn develop into gametophytes. Any sex organs that are produced by the plant will develop on the gametophyte.
The female gametangia are called archegoniophores, they have a taller stem and an umbrella-like structure at the top, approximately 1 cm (0.39 in) wide, from which the common name is derived. They also reproduce asexually via gemma cups which form on the surface of the thallus, they are approx. 4 mm (0.16 in) wide and 3 mm (0.12 in) high. [ 2 ]
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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 chromosomes. The gametophyte is the sexual phase in the life cycle of plants and algae.