In plants that undergo alternation of generations, a gametophyte is the structure, or phase of life, that contains only half of the total complement of chromosomes: Sporic or diplohaplontic life cycle. ... Figure 1: Chromosome. ...

• The sporophyte produces spores, in a process called meiosis. These spores develop into a gametophyte. These spores and the resulting gametophyte have only half of the total complement of chromosomes.
• The gametophyte produces male or female gametes (or both), in a process called mitosis. The fusion of male and female gametes produces a zygote which develops into the sporophyte.

In mosses (bryophytes) the gametophyte is the commonly known phase of the plant. An early developmental stage in the gametophyte of both mosses and ferns (immediately following the meiospore) is called the Protonema. In plants that undergo alternation of generations, a sporophyte is the structure, or phase of life, that contains a total complement of chromosomes: The sporophyte produces spores, in a process called meiosis. ... Spores produced in a sporic life cycle. ... In biology, meiosis is the process that allows one diploid cell to divide in a special way to generate haploid cells in eukaryotes. ... Gametes, from the ancient Greek γαμετης (spouse), are the specialized germ cells that come together during fertilization (conception) in organisms that reproduce sexually. ... A cell in early anaphase Mitosis is the process by which a cell separates its duplicated genome into two identical halves. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Plant sexuality. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Subclasses Sphagnidae Andreaeidae Tetraphidae Polytrichidae Archidiidae Buxbaumiidae Bryidae Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1-10 cm tall, occasionally more. ... Bryophyte is a botanical term which refers to any member of the following divisions of the Plantae kingdom: Bryophyta (mosses) Anthocerophyta (hornworts) Hepatophyta (liverworts) Despite the similarity in name, a bryophyte does not exclusively imply a species of the division bryophyta. ... Classes Marattiopsida Osmundopsida Gleicheniopsida Pteridopsida A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. ... A protonema (plural: protonemata) is a thread-like chain of cells that forms the earliest stage (the haploid phase) of a bryophyte life cycle. ...

In most other plants the gametophyte is very small (as in ferns) or even reduced as in flowering plants (angiosperms), where the female form (ovule) is known as a megagametophyte and the male form (pollen) is called a microgametophyte. Classes Marattiopsida Osmundopsida Gleicheniopsida Pteridopsida A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also called angiosperms) are the dominant and most familiar group of land plants. ... Amaryllis style and stigmas A carpel is the female reproductive organ of a flower; the basic unit of the gynoecium. ... SEM image of pollen grains from a variety of common plants: sunflower (Helianthus annuus), morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea), hollyhock (Sidalcea malviflora), lily (Lilium auratum), primrose (Oenothera fruticosa), and castor bean (Ricinus communis). ...

See also

• Sporophyte
• Alternation of generations
• Archegonium
• Antheridium