Question

What is gymnosperm life cycle?

Answer 1

Gymnosperms:

1. Gymnosperms are other types of plants that bear seeds directly on sporophylls without covering. As the name suggests the gymnosperms are vascular plants of the Kingdom Plantae which bear naked seeds.
2. There are very fewer species of gymnosperms, a few examples of these plants are pine, spruce, redwood, ginkgo, cycads, juniper, fir, and Welwitschia.
3. The main reason for being very fewer species is the lack of protection of seeds. The seeds are naked and unprotected when released. They need to get into the ground quickly to take root or they will be damaged by animals, weather conditions, or any other factors.

Gymnosperms Life Cycle

1. The life cycle of gymnosperms is both haploid and diploid, i.e., they reproduce through the alternation of generations. They have a sporophyte-dominant cycle.
2. The gametophyte phase is relatively short. The reproductive organs are usually cones.
3. Male Cones– These have microsporophyll that contain microsporangia. Microsporangium produces haploid microspores. A few microspores develop into male gametes called pollen grains, and the rest degenerate.
4. Female Cones– The megasporophylls cluster together to form female cones. They possess ovules containing megasporangium. It produces haploid megaspores and a megaspore mother cell.
5. The pollen reaches the egg through wind or any other pollinating agent, and the pollen grain releases a sperm. The nuclei of male and female gametophytes fuse together to form a zygote. This is known as fertilization.
6. The seed appears as scales which can be seen on the cones of the gymnosperm.