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Which tissues develop from the ground meristem?
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plant development
The life cycle of the fern. (1) Clusters (sori) of sporangia (spore cases) grow on the undersurface of mature fern leaves. (2) Released from its spore case, the haploid spore is carried to the ground, where it germinates into a tiny, usually heart-shaped, gametophyte (gamete-producing structure), anchored to the ground by rhizoids (rootlike projections). (3) Under moist conditions, mature sperm are released from the antheridia and swim to the egg-producing archegonia that have formed on the gametophyte's lower surface. (4) When fertilization occurs, a zygote forms and develops into an embryo within the archegonium. (5) The embryo eventually grows larger than the gametophyte and becomes a sporophyte.
The ground meristem is a primary meristem that gives rise to the ground tissue system of a plant. This system is composed of three simple tissues:12
- Parenchyma: Often the most common ground tissue, these cells are typically undifferentiated and metabolically active, functioning in processes such as photosynthesis, secretion, and storage.12
- Collenchyma: These cells provide flexible structural support, particularly in young, growing parts of the plant, due to their thickened primary cell walls.12
- Sclerenchyma: Composed of cells that are often dead at maturity, this tissue provides rigid support and strength to the plant body through thick, lignified secondary cell walls.12