Table of Contents
What is the dominant life stage for mosses?
In mosses, the dominant stage is the haploid generation (the gametophyte). This means that the green, leafy gametophytic tissue is haploid (has only one set of chromosomes). The gametophyte refers to all organs and tissues that are a part of the haploid generation.
How is gametophyte a dominant?
Over the course of evolution, the gametophyte stage has become progressively reduced. Thus, the gametophyte stage is dominant in the more primitive (nonvascular) plants (bryophytes), whereas the sporophyte is the dominant phase in the life cycle of higher (i.e., vascular) plants.
What is a dominant sporophyte?
A sporophyte is a multicellular diploid generation found in plants and algae that undergo alternation of generations. In many plants, the sporophyte generation is the dominant generation. This means that the sporophyte is larger and lives longer than the gametophyte generation.
What is the life cycle of a liverworts?
The life cycle of liverworts and hornworts follows alternation of generations: spores germinate into gametophytes, the zygote develops into a sporophyte that releases spores, and then spores produce new gametophytes. Liverworts develop short, small sporophytes, whereas hornworts develop long, slender sporophytes.
Which is the dominant stage of a liverwort?
The liverworts show a great variety of gametophytic form (far greater than that shown by mosses or hornworts). Regardless of whether a liverwort is leafy or thallose, the gametophyte is the dominant stage – in terms of both bulk and longevity. Sporophytes are fairly ephemeral.
Liverworts (Hepaticophyta) are viewed as the plants most closely related to the ancestor that moved to land. Liverworts have colonized every terrestrial habitat on earth and diversified to more than 7000 existing species. Liverwort gametophytes (the dominant stage of the life cycle) form lobate green structures.
How is the life cycle of a hornwort similar to a liverwort?
Life Cycle of Hornworts: The life cycle of hornworts is similar to that of liverworts. Both follow the pattern of alternation of generations. However, liverworts develop a small sporophyte, whereas hornworts develop a long, slender sporophyte. Liverworts also disperse their spores with the help of elaters,…
Where does the mucilage in a liverwort come from?
All liverworts produce mucilage, which helps liverworts absorb and retain water. The mucilage is produced by the gametophytes, either internally in slime cells or externally in slime papillae. The latter are simply very tiny outgrowths, possibly stalked, from the gametophyte.