Gametophyte
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A gametophyte is one of the two alternating multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore, that has one set of chromosome
Pine gametophyte (outside) surrounding the embryo (inside)
Sporophyte
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A sporophyte is one of the two alternating multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants and algae. It is a diploid multicellular organism which produces asexual spores. This stage alternates with
Gametophyte
…double set of chromosomes. Cell division of the zygote results in a new diploid multicellular organism, the second stage in the life cycle known as the sporophyte. The sporophyte can produce haploid spores by meiosis that on germination produce a new generation of gametophytes. In some multicellular green algae…
Young sporophytes of the common moss Tortula muralis. In mosses, the gametophyte is the dominant generation, while the sporophytes consist of sporangium-bearing stalks growing from the tips of the gametophytes
Sporophytes of moss during spring
In flowering plants, the sporophyte comprises the whole multicellular body except the pollen and embryo sac
Cleistocarpous sporophyte of the moss Physcomitrella patens