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However, not all heteromorphic gametophytes come from heterosporous plants. That is, some plants have distinct egg-producing and sperm-producing gametophytes, but these gametophytes develop from the same kind of spore inside the same sporangium; Sphaerocarpos is an example of such a plant. In seed plants, the microgametophyte is called pollen.
Seed plant gametophytes are also dioicous. However, the parent sporophyte may be monoecious, producing both male and female gametophytes or dioecious, producing gametophytes of one gender only. Seed plant gametophytes are extremely reduced in size; the archegonium consists only of a small number of cells, and the entire male gametophyte may be ...
Seed producing plants, which include the angiosperms and the gymnosperms, have a heteromorphic alternation of generations with large sporophytes containing much-reduced gametophytes. Angiosperms have distinctive reproductive organs called flowers, with carpels , and the female gametophyte is greatly reduced to a female embryo sac, with as few ...
The gymnosperms (/ ˈ dʒ ɪ m n ə ˌ s p ɜːr m z,-n oʊ-/ ⓘ nə-spurmz, -noh-; lit. ' revealed seeds ') are a group of woody, perennial seed-producing plants, typically lacking the protective outer covering which surrounds the seeds in flowering plants, that include conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetophytes, forming the clade Gymnospermae [2] The term gymnosperm comes from the ...
Gametophytes produce haploid sperm and eggs which fuse to form diploid zygotes that grow into sporophytes. Sporophytes produce haploid spores by meiosis , that grow into gametophytes. Bryophytes are gametophyte dominant, [ 12 ] meaning that the more prominent, longer-lived plant is the haploid gametophyte.
In seed plants the microspores develop into pollen grains each containing a reduced, multicellular male gametophyte. [5] The megaspores, in turn, develop into reduced female gametophytes that produce egg cells that, once fertilized, develop into seeds.
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 ...
In ferns and seed plants (including cycads, conifers, flowering plants, etc.) the sporophyte is the dominant generation; the obvious visible plant, whether a small herb or a large tree, is the sporophyte, and the gametophyte is very small. In bryophytes and ferns, the gametophytes are independent, free-living plants, while in seed plants, each ...