What is the difference between antheridia and archegonia

Antheridium refers to the types of male reproductive organs in cryptogams, while archegonium refers to the type of female reproductive organs in cryptogams and within which an embryo will develop.

While antheridium is a club-shaped structure born on a short multicellular stalk, archegonium is a flask-shaped structure raised on a short stalk. Antheridium has a sterile jacket, enclosing a large number of cubic spermazoical sperm mother cells, while the two parts of the archegonium are the venter, enclosing egg cells and venter canal cells and a swollen base.

Moreover, antheridium produces male gametes which are motile while archegonium produces female gametes which are non-motile. Antheridium produces a large number of male gametes while archegonium produces a single female gamete. The role of antheridia is filled by the pollen grain in gymnosperms while the archegonium of gymnosperms is a much-reduced structure embedded in the megagametophyte.

Androecium resembles the antheridium in flowering plants while gynoecium resembles the archegonium in flowering plants. Antheridium is the male sex organ in cryptograms, including ferns, bryophytes, and algae.

Generally, it produces a large number of motile male gametes. Also, it has a club-shaped structure on a short stalk. In addition to these, a sterile jacket encloses the sperm mother cells in the antheridium.

In comparison, archegonium is the female sex organ in cryptogams. Gymnosperms produce reduced archegonia. However, archegonium is responsible for the production of a single, non-motile egg cell, enclosed by the venter. Therefore, archegonium is a flask-shaped structure, containing a short stalk. The main difference between antheridium and archegonium is their structure and their production of gametes.

They are seen in gametophytic phases of those plants. Archegonia are composed of the long neck like canals with swollen bases. Their shape can be described as flask-like structures. They are mostly located on the surface of the plant thallus. Inside the archegonia, female gametes are produced and male gametes reach archegonium for the fusion with female gametes.

One archegonium usually encloses one female gamete. Sexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that occurs via the fusion of male and female gametes.

Male and female gametes are produced by the gametophytes of the organisms. Bryophytes have a dominant gametophytic phase, and they produce gametes for their sexual reproduction. In bryophytes, certain non-vascular plants and algae, male sex organ that produces male gametes sperms is known as antheridium plural antheridia.

It is a haploid structure, and it produces many haploid male gametes. The female sex organ which produces female gametes is known as archegonium plural archegonia. Archegonium is a multicellular haploid structure which has a flask shape with a long neck and swollen base. Each archegonium encloses an ovum which is the female gamete.

Antheridia are produced by the male gametophyte while the female gametophytes produce archegonia. This is the difference between antheridia and archegonia. You can download PDF version of this article and use it for offline purposes as per citation note. Bryophytes structure and reproduction, Available here 3. Samanthi Udayangani holds a B. Degree in Plant Science, M. Your email address will not be published.

Antheridia are reduced to form a pollen grain in both angiosperms and gymnosperms, being a single generative cell. In gymnosperms, archegonia are much-reduced structures embedded in megagametophytes. Archegonia in both gymnosperms and cryptograms produce a single egg cell.

The male gametes or sperms are motile in cryptogams, and therefore, they require water for undergoing fertilization. Usually, the ovum is not motile at all. Typically, the motile male gametes swim through the water films to enter into the archegonia.