Difference Between Sporophyte and Gametophyte with Characteristics

Difference Between Sporophyte and Gametophyte: Plants reproduce and alternate between haploid and diploid phases. The haploid phase, the gametophyte, and the diploid phase, known as the sporophyte, play distinct roles. The sporophyte is diploid and reproduces asexually, as opposed to the gametophyte, which is haploid and reproduces sexually. The sporophyte represents the diploid phase (2N) of zygote formation, whereas the gametophyte represents the haploid phase (N) of meiosis. The diploid zygote is the first cell in the sporophyte generation, followed by the haploid spore in the gametophyte generation.

 In some plant groups, such as Bryophytes, Psilophytes, and Lycophytes, the sporophyte stage evolves into the gametophyte stage, which is larger and more dominant. However, in angiosperms and gymnosperms, the sporophyte phase is larger and more dominant, whereas the gametophyte phase is smaller.  Sporophyte generation represents the asexual phase, while gametophyte generation represents the sexual phase. The article below discusses the difference between sporophyte and gametophyte.

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Difference Between Sporophyte and Gametophyte

Sporophyte Definition

• Sporophyte characteristics include complex organography, with angiosperms exhibiting differentiated structures like roots, stems, and leaves. At the same time, bryophytes display simpler structures with a single unbranched seta bearing a sporangium.
• In vascular plants, the sporophyte phase dominates over the gametophyte phase, where the latter is reduced to germinated pollen and embryo sacs.
• Sporocytes undergo sporogenesis to produce spores, with microsporogenesis leading to male gametophytes and megasporogenesis to female gametophytes.
• Bryophyte sporophytes rely on gametophytes for nutrition, making them non-photosynthetic and parasitic. Conversely, sporophytes can thrive independently in seed-bearing plants like gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Gametophyte Definition

• The presence of structures called Gametangia in bryophytes produces male and female gametes. In angiosperms, gametophytes are referred to as pollen grain and embryo sacs.
• In bryophytes, gametophytes dominate, while in seed-bearing vascular plants, they are significantly reduced to a few cells. Gametophytes are haploid multicellular plants, undergoing mitosis to form male and female gametes in both bryophytes and angiosperms.
• Bryophyte gametophytes are photosynthetic, living independently in moist areas, while in angiosperms, they depend on sporophytes.