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Alternation of Generations
The fluctuation between the diploid (sporophyte) and haploid (gametophyte) life stages that occurs in plants.
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Antheridium
The male sex organ of terrestrial plants; where sperm cells are generated.
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Archegonium
The female sex organ of terrestrial plants; where egg cells are produced.
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Autotroph
An organism that synthesizes its own organic nutrients and does not rely on other organisms for food.
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Diploid
Having two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.
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Epidermis
The outer layer of cells found on the body wall of an organism.
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Gamete
A haploid sex cell (either an egg or sperm cell); male and female gametes join during fertilization to create a diploid zygote.
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Gametophyte
A haploid plant or plant structure that produces haploid gametes through mitosis.
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Haploid
Having only one set of chromosomes.
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Jacket Cell
A component of the cell layer that covers the reproductive organs of plants and prevents them from drying out.
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Photosynthesis
The process by which plants and other autotrophic organisms convert light energy into organic materials.
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Root
The part of a plant beneath the soil; responsible for collecting water and minerals from the soil, storing nutrients, and securing the plant to the ground.
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Shoot
The part of the plant above the soil, including all aerial structures such as stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits; gathers carbon dioxide and light energy for photosynthesis, provides surfaces for gas exchange, and contains the plant's reproductive organs.
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Spore
Haploid cell from which a gametophyte is produced.
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Sporophyte
A diploid plant or plant structure that produces haploid spores through meiosis.
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Stoma
A very small epidermal pore, surrounded by two guard cells, through which gases diffuse in and out of a leaf.
