Question

Megasporocytes will eventually produce which of the following?

a) Spores
b) Seeds
c) Gametophytes
d) Megaspores

Answer 1

Megasporocytes produce megaspores, which then develop into female gametophytes within seed plants, such as the spike moss Selaginella.

Step-by-step explanation:

Megasporocytes will eventually produce megaspores, which are large spores that germinate into a female gametophyte in a heterosporous plant. During the life cycle of seed plants, like the spike moss Selaginella, a megasporocyte (a megaspore mother cell) in the female sporangium undergoes meiosis to produce four megaspores. These megaspores then develop internally into female gametophytes, which are responsible for producing eggs.

This process is part of the evolutionary trend in seed plants where the gametophyte generation becomes microscopically small and remains enclosed within the tissues of the sporophyte, a stark contrast to the more conspicuous gametophytes of other seedless vascular plants.