The evolution and development of sporangia—The fundamental reproductive organ of land plant sporophytes

Abstract

A key innovation of land plants is the origin and evolution of the sporangium, the fundamental reproductive structure of the diploid sporophyte. In vascular plants, whether the structure is a cone, fertile leaf, or flower—all are clusters of sporangia. The evolution of morphologically distinct sporangia (heterospory) and retention of the gametophyte evolved three times independently as a prerequisite for the evolution of seeds. This review summarizes the development of vascular plant sporangia, molecular genetics of angiosperm sporangia, and provides a framework to investigate evolution and development in vascular plant sporangia.