Sporophyll: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

Sporophyll

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	Sporophyll
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	Topics Sporophyll Topic Home A sporophyll is a leafLeaf In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis.... that produces sporeSpore In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersion and surviving for extended periods of time in... s. Sporophylls are part of the diploid sporophyteSporophyte A sporophyte is the structure of a plant or alga that has a diploid set of chromosomes.... generation, and the spores are produced by meiosisMeiosis In biology, meiosis is the process that allows one diploid cell to divide in a special way to generate haploid cells in euka... and will germinate to produce haploid gametophyteGametophyte In plants that undergo alternation of generations, a gametophyte is the structure, or phase of life, that contains only half... s. The spores are born in sporangia, which can take various forms in different kinds of plants. The sporophylls themselves also vary greatly in appearance and structure, and may or may not look similar to the trophophylls--leaves which only undergo photosynthesisPhotosynthesis Photosynthesis , generally, is the synthesis of sugar from light, carbon dioxide and water, with oxygen as a waste product.... to produce sugarSugar In general use, non-scientists take "sugar" to mean sucrose, also called "table sugar" or saccharose, a white crystalline solid di... s, never producing spores. In more primitive plants, such as lycophytes and fernFern A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also... s, the sporophylls and trophophylls are both green and photosynthesize, and usually look very similar to each other. In more advanced plants, such as seed plants--and a few unusual primitive plants such as Equisetum--the sporophylls and trophophylls are very different from each other. For instance, in pinePine Pines are coniferous trees of the genus *Pinus, in the family Pinaceae.... s the sporophylls are modified to form both the woody bractBract In botany, a bract* is a modified or specialized leaf, from the axil of which a flower or flower stalk arises; or a bract may... s of pine cones (often called "ovuliferous scales") as well as the smaller, non-woody bracts of the pollen cones. In flowers the sporophylls are even further modified, and are represented by the stamenStamen The stamen is the male organ of a flower.... s and carpelCarpel A carpel is the female reproductive organ of a flower; the basic unit of the *gynoecium.... s. Small foliaceous structures bearing the sporangia in brown algae of the genus AlariaAlaria Brown algae, in the Kingdom Chromista, Order Laminariales and Family Alariaceae there are up to 14 species of the Genus Alaria... are also called "sporophylls", though structurally they are quite different from the sporophylls of vascular plantVascular plant The vascular plants* are plants in the Kingdom Plantae that have specialized tissues for conducting water.... s.