A shaded, disturbed environment
Hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) colonizing disturbed ground
Hornworts with developing “horns” (sporophytes full of spores)
Hornworts continuing to spread
Hornwort sporophyte tips beginning to dry out and split open, releasing spores
Hornwort spores coming out of diploid sporophyte at 100x
Developing spores going through meiosis at 400x
Hornwort tetrads that each have four haploid spores at 100x
Hornwort tetrads with three visible spores at 400x
Spores with pseudo-elaters at 100x
Hornwort spores at 400x
Close up of newly formed haploid thallus showing large, single chloroplasts in each cell at 400x
Bluish green cyanobacteria that live in thallus cavities symbiotically at 400x
Growing thallus with rhizoids 40x
Mature hermaphroditic thallus with cavities that contain sex structures at 40x
Hornwort thallus indentations that contain the male sex structures (antheridia) at 40x
Internal cavities containing yellow/brown antheridia at 100x
Antheridia at 400x
Hornwort antheridia that contain swimming gametes (sperm) at 100x
Antheridia at 400x
Antheridia releasing swimming gametes (sperm) at 400x
Thallus indentations that contain the female sex structures (archegonia) and egg cells at 40x
Newly fertilized embryo giving rise to a sporophyte at 100x
Developing sporophyte with collar at 20x
Further developing sporophytes
Sporophyte tips about to release spores at 20x
Hornwort sporophyte stomata at 100x/400x
Pseudo-elaters (with mature yellow spores) that help spore dispersal at 400x
The life cycle begins again
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