What is the difference between gametes and gametophytes

Furthermore, gametes are produced inside sex organs. Male gametes are produced inside antheridia while female gametes are produced inside archegonia in plants. On the other hand, in animals, they are produced inside testis and ovaries, respectively. However, the main function of gametes is to fuse with the opposite gamete to form the zygote.

Gametophyte is the haploid generation produced during the alteration of generations of plants and algae. It arises from a haploid spore produced by the sporophyte. Moreover, gametophyte is a multicellular structure, which contains male and female sex organs responsible for the production of gametes.

These sex organs are commonly known as gametangia and they undergo mitosis to produce haploid gametes. The zygote produced by the fertilization of gametes then gives rise to the sporophyte, which is diploid.

Moreover, the gametophyte of bryophytes and algae is the dominant phase of the life cycle while in other plants, the dominant phase of the life cycle is the sporophyte. Also, some bryophytes including liverworts develop male and female gametophytes separately by the germination of microspores and megaspores respectively.

Other plants excluding seed plants produce independent gametophytes from their sporophytes. However, seed plants develop gametophytes at the microscopic level.

A gamete refers to a mature haploid male or female germ cell, which is able to unite with another of the opposite sex in sexual reproduction to form a zygote, while gametophyte refers to the gamete-producing and usually haploid phase, producing the zygote from which the sporophyte arises. These definitions explain the fundamental difference between gamete and gametophyte.

Thus, a gamete is a reproductive cell while gametophyte is the haploid phase of the life cycle of a plant. And, this is the main difference between gamete and gametophyte. Moreover, another difference between gamete and gametophyte is that a gamete is a single-celled structure while gametophyte is a multicellular structure. Furthermore, one other difference between gamete and gametophyte is that gametes occur in both plants and animals while gametophyte only occurs in plants.

Also, while gametes are produced inside the sex organs, gametophyte develops from a haploid spore. Besides the above, gamete fuses with a gamete of the opposite sex to form the zygote while gametophyte is the sexual phase of the plant life cycle and it is responsible for the production of gametes.

Hence, this is also a difference between gamete and gametophyte. They undergo fertilization process and produce a diploid zygote that can develop into a completely new individual. Overview and Key Difference 2. What is Gamete 3. What is Gametophyte 4. Similarities Between Gamete and Gametophyte 5. Gamete is a haploid cell that contains half of the chromosome set or the half of the genetic material of an organism. It can be male or female gamete.

Gamete is able to fuse with the opposite sex gamete to form a diploid cell called zygote. Thus, it is a mature sex cell that involves in the sexual reproduction.

Then the zygote divides by mitosis and becomes a complete organism. Gametophytes are the sexual phase of the life cycle which produces gametes. They are a haploid stage. Hence they produce gametes via mitosis. When gametes unite, it results in genetically different offspring, unlike sporophytic generation. Gametophyte is the sexual stage of life cycle of certain organisms.

It is one of the two alternating phases of the life cycle. There are two types of gametophytes; female gametophyte and male gametophyte. Sex organs of the gametophytes produce gametes for the sexual reproduction. Female gametophyte produces egg cells or the female gametes while male gametophyte produces sperm cells or the male gametes. Gametophytes are haploid multicellular structures.

Plants have heteromorphic gametophytes, megagametophyte and microgametophyte while some lower plants have male and female gametophytes which are not distinguishable. Furthermore, some plants have monoicous gametophytes while some have dioicous gametophytes. Monoicous gametophyte produces both sperm and eggs whereas dioicous gametophytes produce separate gametes either sperm or egg but never both.

Gamete and gametophyte are two haploid structures of sexual phase of the living cycles of plants and algae.