Examine metagenesis and the roles of antheridia, archegonia, and the sporangium in the moss Mnium hornum
Examine metagenesis and the roles of antheridia, archegonia, and the sporangium in the moss Mnium hornum
Learn about alternation of generations (metagenesis) in the moss Mnium hornum. Gametophyte plants produce eggs and sperm, and sporophyte plants produce spores.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about alternation of generations (metagenesis) in the moss Mnium hornum. Gametophyte plants produce eggs and sperm, and sporophyte plants produce spores.
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News •
Moss spores are now launch weeks earlier due to climate warming
• Nov. 28, 2025, 9:26 PM ET (Earth.com)
Transcript
NARRATOR: Mosses provide a clear illustration of how the alternation of generations in plants works.
This is the moss Mnium hornum.
The leafy plant is the gametophyte generation that produces sperm and eggs.
The antheridia produce motile sperms.
In wet conditions mature antheridia swell and burst, releasing sperm onto the surface of the leaves.
Attracted by the sucrose secretions at the neck of the female sex organs, sperm swim into the neck of the archegonia, where fertilization takes place.
The zygote cell will grow into the sporophyte generation.
Inside the sporangium, diploid spore mother cells divide by meiosis to produce haploid spores.
Under the right conditions the spores will be released and will germinate into the embryonic gametophyte plant called the protonema.
This is the moss Mnium hornum.
The leafy plant is the gametophyte generation that produces sperm and eggs.
The antheridia produce motile sperms.
In wet conditions mature antheridia swell and burst, releasing sperm onto the surface of the leaves.
Attracted by the sucrose secretions at the neck of the female sex organs, sperm swim into the neck of the archegonia, where fertilization takes place.
The zygote cell will grow into the sporophyte generation.
Inside the sporangium, diploid spore mother cells divide by meiosis to produce haploid spores.
Under the right conditions the spores will be released and will germinate into the embryonic gametophyte plant called the protonema.
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