Question

Are gymnosperms heterosporous?

Answer 1

The term “Gymnosperm” is derived from the Greek words “gymnos” (naked) and “sperm” (seed), hence the term “Naked seeds.” Gymnosperms are seed-producing plants, but unlike angiosperms, they do not produce fruits. These plants form cone-like structures on the surface of scales or leaves, or at the ends of stalks.

Complete answer:
Gymnosperms are members of the kingdom Plantae and the subkingdom Embryophyta. The fossil evidence suggested that they appeared around 390 million years ago, during the Paleozoic era.
Gymnosperms are plants in which the ovules, unlike angiosperms, are not enclosed within the ovary wall. It is exposed before, during, and after fertilization, as well as before developing into a seed. Gymnosperm stems can be branched or unbranched. These plants' thick cuticle, needle-like leaves, and sunken stomata reduce the rate of water loss.

Conifers, cycads, gnetophytes, and Ginkgophyta division, and Ginkgo biloba are members of the gymnosperm family. Gymnosperms, like all seed plants, are heterosporous. Gymnosperms produce both male and female cones, each of which produces the gametes required for fertilization; as a result, they are heterosporous. Megaspores produced by cones develop into female gametophytes within gymnosperm ovules, whereas pollen grains are produced by cones that produce microspores.

Thus, gymnosperms are heterosporous.

Note: Gymnosperms are divided into four phyla today. The first three (Coniferophyta, Cycadophyta, and Ginkgophyta) share a pattern of seed development and the production of secondary cambium (cells that generate the vascular system of the trunk or stem and are partially specialized for water transportation). However, these three phyla are not phylogenetically related. Because they produce true xylem tissue, the fourth phylum (the Gnetophyta) is considered the most closely related to angiosperms.