Seedless and Seed Plant Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the lecture notes on seedless plants and seed plants, focusing on life cycles, structures, and evolutionary advantages.

Sporangia

Organs that produce haploid spores via meiosis.

Gametangia

Organs that produce haploid gametes via mitosis.

Antheridia

Male gametangia.

Archegonia

Female gametangia where fertilization occurs.

Homosporous

Condition where each spore produces a gametophyte with both archegonia and antheridia.

Protonemata

Early gametophytes with a high surface area to volume ratio to enhance nutrient absorption in mosses.

Rhizoids

Root-like structures that anchor mosses, but do not transport water.

Sori

Clusters of sporangia on the underside of fern leaves.

Fiddleheads

The diploid embryo develops into a new sporophyte.

Microscopic gametophytes

Develop within the parental sporophyte and are protected from environmental stress.

Heterospory

Spores are of two types, male and female.

Megaspore

A haploid megaspore within a megasporangium divides by mitosis to become a female n gametophyte that will produce an egg cell (by mitosis)

Microspore

A haploid microspore produced via meiosis in a diploid microsporangium divides by mitosis to become a male n gametophyte that will produce sperm cells (by mitosis).

Ovules

Structures in a 2n parent sporophyte that contain an outer 2n protective integument and 2n female megasporangium cells which produce the female n megaspore (via meiosis).

Seeds

Protect, disperse, and initially feed sporophyte embryos and allow some sporophyte embryos to remain dormant for years awaiting favorable conditions

Pollen grains

Microspores grow via mitosis into haploid pollen grains that contain haploid (n) male gametophytes (also much reduced in size) that that are protected and widely dispersed.

Epicotyl

Stem above cotyledons.

Radicle

Embryonic root.

Lignin

Plant Vascular tissue used for support.