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Eusporangium or Leptosporangium? Which type of sporangium is characterized by being stalked?

User Alex Wih
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Final answer:

Leptosporangium is the stalked type of sporangium, found in plants like ferns, aiding in the dispersal of spores by wind.

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of sporangium characterized by being stalked is known as leptosporangium. Leptosporangium can be found in Polypodiales, a type of fern. These sporangia are small, stalked structures, often less than a millimeter tall, and have a band of specialized cells called an annulus. As the sporangium dries, the annulus shortens, which helps to open the sporangium and enables the spores to be dispersed into the air. This mechanism contrasts with eusporangium, which originates from a group of cells and is typically not stalked.

Examples of plants with leptosporangia include various ferns like the wood ferns, where the sporophyte and gametophyte stages use energy from sunlight to synthesize carbohydrates and produce spores. The stalked structure aids in spore dispersal, elevating the spores to be more readily dispersed by the wind, similar to the structure found in mosses and liverworts for dispersal of their spores.

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