Why plant become dominately sporophyte rather than gametophyte

[himura137]

why plant become dominately sporophyte rather than gametophyte? i am currently learning about mosses, fern, gymnosperm and angiosperms and i got stuck when trying to make a connection between them.

 

[jim mcnamara]

This has been sitting unaswered for a while. The real reason is that there is no good answer.

Some folks might say that it's because gameotphyte-dominant species do not have a lot of vascular tissue that will support tall growht habits... So they could not easily grow tall... but they do have some vascular tissue. So in theory at least, one of them could have evolved the ability to be more tree-like. I don't know of any fossil evidence that this happened.

The bottom line:

Basically Natural Selection is a stochastic process. It has a lot of randomness, that cannot be reconstructed 450 million years later.

 

[ravenprp]

The evolution of plants from being predominantly gametophyte to sporophyte was driven by several factors. One of the main reasons is the need for efficient reproduction and dispersal of offspring. In gametophytes, the production of gametes is the main mode of reproduction, which requires water for fertilization. This limits their dispersal capabilities and makes them dependent on moist environments. On the other hand, sporophytes produce spores that can be dispersed by air or through other means, allowing for a wider distribution and colonization of new habitats.

Additionally, the sporophyte stage allows for a more complex and diverse structure, providing better adaptation to different environments. This is especially important in terrestrial plants, where they need to compete for resources and withstand harsh conditions. The sporophyte stage also enables the development of specialized tissues and structures, such as roots, stems, and leaves, which are essential for efficient nutrient uptake and transport.

Furthermore, the sporophyte stage also allows for the formation of seeds, which provide protection and nourishment to the developing embryo. This is a significant advantage for plants, as it increases their chances of survival and propagation in diverse environments.

In terms of the connection between the different plant groups, mosses, ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms all have a dominant sporophyte stage in their life cycle. However, they differ in the complexity of their sporophyte structures and the way they reproduce. For example, mosses have a simple sporophyte structure and rely on water for fertilization, while ferns have a more developed sporophyte stage and can reproduce through spores or by producing specialized structures called gametophytes. Gymnosperms and angiosperms have the most complex sporophyte structures and reproduce through seeds, with angiosperms having the added advantage of producing flowers and fruits for efficient pollination and seed dispersal.

Overall, the dominance of sporophyte stage in plants has been a crucial factor in their evolutionary success and adaptation to different environments.