microscopic
Anything too small to see without a microscope. Gametophytes are often referred to as the microscopic stage, because in the wild they are too small to see with the naked eye, even though in culture they are large enough to see.
Lesson 1
Introduction to Gametophyte Culturing
Back to: Building a Gametophyte Seed Bank
The Kelp Life Cycle
All kelps have a two-part life cycle, called a heteromorphic life cycle, consisting of a sporophyte stage and a microscopic stage. Gametophytes are part of the microscopic stage. In a seed bank, gametophytes are grown vegetatively under red light. This enables a nursery operator to produce more seed from a single wild-harvested blade than traditional spore seeding methods allow. In traditional spore seeding, each spore develops into a male or female gametophyte and a female produces only a few egg cells. In seed banking, each spore is grown out into hundreds or thousands of gametophyte cells and a single female can produce many times more egg cells.
Definition
Definition
vegetative state
The state of gametophytes while they are being held in non-reproductive growth conditions. This can be a period of rapid growth for building stock biomass or preservation for gene banking.
The figure below, from the New England Seaweed Culture Handbook, illustrates the kelp life cycle. Hover over the figure to highlight the gametophyte phase.