gametofita

Gametophyte is the haploid stage in the life cycle of plants and algae that have alternation of generations. During this stage, the organism produces gametes, which are reproductive cells. These gametes, typically a sperm and an egg, fuse during fertilization to form a diploid zygote. The gametophyte generation is characterized by having a single set of chromosomes in its cells, denoted as 'n'. In many plant groups, such as mosses and ferns, the gametophyte is the visible, dominant, and longer-lived generation. For example, the leafy green part of a moss plant is its gametophyte. In contrast, in seed plants like gymnosperms and angiosperms, the gametophyte is greatly reduced and dependent on the sporophyte generation. In these plants, the male gametophyte develops into pollen grains, and the female gametophyte is contained within the ovule. The term "gametophyte" is derived from the Greek words "gametes" (meaning spouse or married couple) and "phyton" (meaning plant).