Some gametophytes are organized as a thallus . A thallus is a flattened growth form, which does not have discrete organs like stems, leaves and roots. However, some of these have a leaf-shoot organization similar to other land plants. Antheredia produce flagellated sperm, which swim to an Archegonium which, contains an egg . The Sporophytes grow out of the archegonia and are usually anchored to the gametophyte by a Foot .
Spores germinate and develop into gametophytes.
In all of he labs on terrestrial plants we should take an outside to inside approach . Study the organism with a dissecting scope for finer detail. Examine fresh sections with the light microscope to observe gross anatomical features. Study prepared slides, which illustrate detailed anatomical traits. The gametophore represents the most conspicuous phase of the bryophyte life cycle.