Which stage is the main stage of ferns sporophyte or gametophyte?

The life cycle of higher plants is dominated by the sporophyte stage, with the gametophyte borne on the sporophyte. In ferns, the gametophyte is free-living and very distinct in structure from the diploid sporophyte.

Which stages in the life cycle of a fern constitute the sporophyte generation?

The life cycle of the fern has two different stages; sporophyte, which releases spores, and gametophyte, which releases gametes. Gametophyte plants are haploid, sporophyte plants diploid. This type of life cycle is called alternation of generations.

Are ferns sporophyte or gametophyte?

Plants we see as ferns or horsetails are the sporophyte generation. The sporophyte generally releases spores in the summer. Spores must land on a suitable surface, such as a moist protected area to germinate and grow into gametophytes.

What is the main structure of the gametophyte in the fern life cycle?

While the sporophyte consisted of fronds and rhizomes, the gametophyte has leaflets and rhizoids. Within the gametophyte, sperm is produced within a structure called an antheridium. The egg is produced within a similar structure called an archegonium.

Is the prothallus sporophyte or gametophyte?

The prothallus is the fern gametophyte. It is a green, photosynthetic structure that is one cell thick, usually heart or kidney shaped, 3–10 mm long and 2–8 mm broad.

Is prothallus a gametophyte?

A prothallus, or prothallium, (from Latin pro = forwards and Greek θαλλος (thallos) = twig) is usually the gametophyte stage in the life of a fern or other pteridophyte. Occasionally the term is also used to describe the young gametophyte of a liverwort or peat moss as well.

What is a prothallus in Ferns?

prothallium, the small, green, heart-shaped structure (gametophyte) of a fern that produces both male and female sex cells (gametes). The prothallium forms from a spore.

Which phase of the fern life cycle is dominant?

The dominant part of the life cycle, i.e., the plant that is recognized as a fern, represents the sporophyte generation. The gametophyte generation includes the phase of the life cycle between the formation of spores by meiosis and fertilization and formation of the zygote.

Are ferns gametophyte generation dominant?

Interestingly, the gametophyte and sporophyte are about equally dominant in the life cycle of ferns. In contrast, the gametophyte is dominant in the more evolutionarily primitive bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts), whereas the sporophyte is dominant in the more evolutionarily advanced seed plants.

What is the sporophyte phase in a fern’s life cycle?

The prothallium is the gametophyte phase in the fern’s life cycle. The heart-shaped prothallia produce gametes that unite to form a zygote, which develops into a new sporophyte plant. Lester V. Bergman/Corbis Documentary/Getty Images In plants with vascular tissue systems, the sporophyte phase is the primary phase of the life cycle.

What is the gametophyte of fern?

Introduction to Prothallus Prothallium which is more commonly known as the prothallus can be defined as the gametophyte of the fern and other pteridophytes species. The prothallium or prothallus is known to produce both male and female gametophytes of the plant.

How is prothallus produced in ferns?

The prothallus or prothallium is produced during the sporophytic stages of the fern, that is they are produced by the spores of the plant.

What happens in the gametophyte phase of reproduction?

In plants, the gametophyte phase ends with the formation of a diploid zygote by sexual reproduction. The zygote represents the sporophyte phase, which consists of the plant generation with diploid cells. The cycle begins anew when the diploid sporophyte cells undergo meiosis to produce haploid spores.