In what phase do mosses spend most of their life cycle?
Options:
Female
Male
Sporophyte
Gametophyte
Mosses spend most of their life cycle in the gametophyte phase.
In the life cycle of mosses, they spend most of their life in the gametophyte phase.
To determine in which phase mosses spend most of their life cycle, we need to understand the life cycle of mosses and the characteristics of each phase.
The life cycle of mosses typically alternates between two distinct phases: the gametophyte and the sporophyte. The gametophyte is the dominant phase in mosses, meaning it spends the majority of its life cycle in this phase.
The gametophyte is the familiar green, moss-like plant that we typically observe in nature. It is the sexual phase of the moss life cycle, where the plant produces male and female reproductive structures (gametangia) via mitosis. The male gametangia produce sperm, while the female gametangia produce eggs. In the gametophyte phase, fertilization occurs when the sperm swim through a film of water and fertilize the eggs, resulting in the production of a zygote.
The zygote then grows into the sporophyte phase. The sporophyte is a much smaller structure than the gametophyte and is dependent on the gametophyte for its nutrition. It consists of a stalk (seta) topped by a capsule that contains spores. Inside the capsule, meiosis occurs and produces haploid spores. These spores are released into the environment and can germinate, leading to the development of new gametophytes.
Based on this information, the phase in which mosses spend most of their life cycle is the gametophyte phase.