Chapter 23, Problem 39A

Summary Introduction

To describe:

Advantage and disadvantage of reduction in size of gametophyte from mosses to anthophytes.

Introduction:

The sporophytic and gametophytic stages are the two stages of plant life cycle. The sporophyte plants are diploid while the gametophyte plants are haploid. This phenomenon of life cycle is considered as alternation of generations.

Explanation of Solution

It is observed that from the bryophytes to angiosperm, the gametophytic generation is reduced significantly. The bryophytes have a dominant gametophytic generation. The spores produced by the bryophytes do not have a protection, but they are able to reproduce in a high number. However, the reproduction through gametes is safer. So, the advantage of having a short gametophytic generation provided safety, but the number of offspring reduced.