gemma
Quick Summary
In botany, a gemma (plural: gemmae) is a specialized bud or asexual reproductive body that detaches from a parent plant to form a new individual. These structures are a form of vegetative reproduction, allowing plants to propagate without seeds or spores.1
Some plants, like certain ferns, produce gemmae that break off and are dispersed by water, wind, or even insects to establish new colonies. In bryophytes (mosses, hornworts, and liverworts), gemmae are also involved in asexual reproduction, budding off from the gametophyte to grow into new gametophytes. This process bypasses the need for sexual reproduction, enabling rapid colonization under favorable conditions.23
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liverwort…reproduce asexually by means of gemmae, which are disks of tissues produced by the gametophytic generation. The gemmae are held in special organs known as gemma cups and are dispersed by rainfall. Fragmentation of the thallus can also result in new plants. Single-celled structures called rhizoids anchor most liverworts to…
Read More…reproduce asexually by means of gemmae, which are disks of tissues produced by the gametophytic generation. The gemmae are held in special organs known as gemma cups and are dispersed by rainfall. Fragmentation of the thallus can also result in new plants. Single-celled structures called rhizoids anchor most liverworts to…
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bryophyte…specialized masses of cells (gemmae) that are usually budded off and ultimately give rise to gametophytes. Fragmentation of the gametophyte also results in vegetative reproduction: each living fragment has the potential to grow into a complete gametophyte. The mature gametophyte of most mosses is leafy in appearance, but some…
Read More…specialized masses of cells (gemmae) that are usually budded off and ultimately give rise to gametophytes. Fragmentation of the gametophyte also results in vegetative reproduction: each living fragment has the potential to grow into a complete gametophyte. The mature gametophyte of most mosses is leafy in appearance, but some…
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fernVegetative reproduction…Hymenophyllaceae) produce specialized filaments, or gemmae, that break off and are carried away by water droplets, wind, or possibly insects or spiders to initiate new colonies.
Read More…Hymenophyllaceae) produce specialized filaments, or gemmae, that break off and are carried away by water droplets, wind, or possibly insects or spiders to initiate new colonies.
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plantDeviations from the usual life history…as gametophytes that spread by gemmae (units of asexual reproduction); although gametangia are produced, no sporophytes result.
Read More…as gametophytes that spread by gemmae (units of asexual reproduction); although gametangia are produced, no sporophytes result.
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Hymenophyllaceae…through small vegetative offsets (gemmae) that are dispersed by air currents to new sites. Even more amazing is the fact that there exists a second unrelated species, the Appalachian shoestring fern (Vittaria appalachiana; family Pteridaceae), which occupies similar habitats in roughly the same range and is also apparently incapable…
Read More…through small vegetative offsets (gemmae) that are dispersed by air currents to new sites. Even more amazing is the fact that there exists a second unrelated species, the Appalachian shoestring fern (Vittaria appalachiana; family Pteridaceae), which occupies similar habitats in roughly the same range and is also apparently incapable…
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