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Apogamy is a botanical term referring to the development of a sporophyte from a gametophyte without fertilization. This process is a form of apomixis, which is reproduction through special generative tissues without fertilization.12

In certain plants, like some mosses and ferns, the gametophyte can directly produce a sporophyte through cell division, bypassing the need for gametes or sex cells. This can occur naturally or be induced under specific conditions, such as withholding water from gametophytes to prevent sperm function. Apogamy is also observed in some flowering plants, where a sporophyte can develop from an unfertilized egg or another cell within the gametophyte. This phenomenon allows for the perpetuation of favorable traits but limits the evolutionary advantages of biparental inheritance.32

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