Practice question

Gymnosperm reproductive investment invests heavily in haploid female gametophyte tissue prior to fertilization serving as nutritive reserve analogous functionally to angiosperm triploid endosperm but genetically different haploid maternal only. Megaspore mitotic divisions produce bulky tissue packed with oils lipids starch proteins containing archegonia each with egg. After fertilization proembryo consumes surrounding gametophyte, remainder stored supporting germination. Unlike angiosperms where triploid endosperm induced by second fertilization of central cell, gymnosperm reserve haploid from gametophyte generation, demonstrating alternate evolutionary strategy for parental provisioning without double fertilization dependence and without genomic imprinting.