Gametophyte (Noun)
Meaning
The gamete-bearing individual or phase in the life cycle of a plant having alternation of generations.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- The gametophyte phase is the dominant phase in the life cycle of bryophytes, such as mosses and liverworts.
- In flowering plants, the gametophyte is the pollen grain or embryo sac that develops into the male and female gametes.
- The gametophyte of a fern is a small, flat, photosynthetic organism that produces sperm and egg cells on its underside.
- Seeds, including those of conifers and flowering plants, typically include a small remnant of the female gametophyte that provides nutrition to the developing embryo.
- In some algal species, the male and female gametophytes are indistinguishable, except for the production of either male or female gametes.