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The term "gymnosperm" is often used in paleobotany to refer to (the paraphyletic group of) all non-angiosperm seed plants. In that case, to specify the modern monophyletic group of gymnosperms, the term Acrogymnospermae is sometimes used. The gymnosperms and angiosperms together constitute the spermatophytes or seed plants.
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gymnosperm, any vascular plant that reproduces by means of an exposed seed, or ovule—unlike angiosperms, or flowering plants, whose seeds are enclosed by mature ovaries, or fruits. The seeds of many gymnosperms (literally, “naked seeds”) are borne in cones and are not visible until maturity. Taxonomists recognize four distinct divisions of extant (nonextinct) gymnospermous plants—Pinophyta, Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, and Gnetophyta—with 88 genera and more than 1,000 species distributed throughout the world.
Gymnosperms were dominant in the Mesozoic Era (about 252.2 million to 66 million years ago), during which time some of the modern families originated (Pinaceae, Araucariaceae, Cupressaceae). Although since the Cretaceous Period (about 145 million to 66 million years ago) gymnosperms have been gradually displaced by the more recently evolved angiosperms, they are still successful in many parts of the world and occupy large areas of Earth’s surface. Conifer forests, for example, cover vast regions of northern temperate lands, and gymnosperms frequently grow in more northerly latitudes than do angiosperms.
In all living gymnosperm groups, the visible part of the plant body (i.e., the growing stem and branches) represents the sporophyte, or asexual, generation, rather than the gametophyte, or sexual, generation. Typically, a sporophyte has a stem with roots and leaves and bears the reproductive structures. As vascular plants, gymnosperms contain two conducting tissues, the xylem and phloem. The xylem conducts water and minerals from the roots to the rest of the plant and also provides structural support. The phloem distributes the sugars, amino acids, and organic nutrients manufactured in the leaves to the nonphotosynthetic tissues of the plant.
In most gymnosperms the male pollen cones, called microstrobili, contain reduced leaves called microsporophylls. Microsporangia, or pollen sacs, are borne on the lower surfaces of the microsporophylls. The number of microsporangia may vary from two in many conifers to hundreds in some cycads. Within the microsporangia are cells which undergo meiotic division to produce haploid microspores.
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The gametophyte phase begins when the microspore, while still within the microsporangium, begins to germinate to form the male gametophyte. A single microspore nucleus divides by mitosis to produce a few cells. At this stage the male gametophyte (called a pollen grain) is shed and transported by wind or insects.
Female ovulate cones, called megastrobili, may be borne on the same plant that bears microstrobili (as in conifers) or on separate plants (as in cycads and Ginkgo). A megastrobilus contains many scales, called megasporophylls, that contain megasporangia. Within each megasporangium, a single cell undergoes meiotic division to produce four haploid megaspores, three of which typically degenerate. The remaining megaspore undergoes mitosis to form the female gametophyte. As the number of free nuclei multiplies, the megasporangium and megaspore wall expand. At this stage the ovule is ready to be fertilized.
Although the taxonomic division Spermatophyta is no longer accepted, the term spermatophyte is used to refer collectively to the angiosperms (flowering plants) and gymnosperms (conifers, cycads, and allies). See also seed.
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The fifth extant division is the flowering plants, also known as angiosperms or magnoliophytes, the largest and most diverse group of spermatophytes: Angiosperms, the flowering plants, possess seeds enclosed in a fruit, unlike gymnosperms.
In contrast, all seed plants, or spermatophytes, are heterosporous, forming two types of spores: megaspores (female) and microspores (male). Megaspores develop into female gametophytes that produce eggs, and microspores mature into male gametophytes that generate sperm.
The ovules of these genera, unlike those of other gymnosperms, have two integuments instead of one, as in angiospermous ovules. Archegonia are present in the female gametophytes of Ephedra, but only eggs occur in those of Gnetum and Welwitschia. The sperm, like those of the conifers, lack flagella. Plant reproductive system - Gymnosperms ...
May 2, 2018 · Updated on May 02, 2018. Gymnosperms are flowerless plants that produce cones and seeds. The term gymnosperm literally means "naked seed," as gymnosperm seeds are not encased within an ovary. Rather, they sit exposed on the surface of leaf-like structures called bracts.
