Angiosperms

Lifecycle of Angiosperms

Angiosperms are known as flowering plants and represent one of the most widely occuring group of plants. Angiosperms have alternation of generations. Sporophyte(2n)represents the dominant generation. The lifecycle is marked by the development of flowers which are organs for sexual reproduction. Stamens represent the male reproductive part which have anthers that produce microspores by meiosis, and the microspores develop into male gametophytes (n), pollen in the flower.Female reproductive part is represented by a carpel(pistil) which has ovaries that produce female gametophyte,egg (n). By agencies like wind, water, animal etc, the pollen is transferred to the stigma of the pistil, and a pollen tube grows down into the ovary. Pollination is the transfer of the male gametophyte (pollen) to the stigma of the female,which causes fertilization and production of embryo that develops into seed to start the next generation by forming a sporophyte (2n).