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How do bryophytes reproduce sexually?
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bryophyte
Bryophyte moss growing on oak trees.
Bryophytes reproduce sexually through an alternation of generations in which the gametophyte is the dominant, independent phase.123
The process involves the following steps:
- Gamete Production: The gametophyte produces male and female sex organs, known as gametangia. The male organ, the antheridium, produces flagellated sperm, while the female organ, the archegonium, contains a single egg.13
- Fertilization: Because bryophytes require water for reproduction, the motile sperm must swim through a film of moisture to reach the egg. The archegonium releases a fluid that guides the sperm down the neck canal to the egg.31
- Zygote Development: Upon fertilization, the sperm and egg nuclei unite to form a diploid zygote. This zygote remains within the archegonium, where it undergoes mitotic divisions to develop into an embryonic sporophyte.143
- Dependency: The developing sporophyte remains attached to and nutritionally dependent on the gametophyte, eventually producing spores that are released to begin the cycle again.123