Many cacti, such as saguaros and barrel cacti, have large stems and no leaves. what function of leaves is taken on by the stems of such cacti?
a. they produce food by photosynthesis.

b. they absorb water and nutrients from the soil.

c. they transport materials throughout the plant.

d. they store excess water.

fertilization, pictured in figure 24.23a is the process in which gametes (an egg and sperm) fuse to form a zygote. the egg and sperm each contain one set of chromosomes. to ensure that the offspring has only one complete diploid set of chromosomes, only one sperm must fuse with one egg. in mammals, the egg is protected by a layer of extracellular matrix consisting mainly of glycoproteins called the zona pellucida. when a sperm binds to the zona pellucida, a series of biochemical events, called the acrosomal reactions, take place. in placental mammals, the acrosome contains digestive enzymes that initiate the degradation of the glycoprotein matrix protecting the egg and allowing the sperm plasma membrane to fuse with the egg plasma membrane, as illustrated in figure 24.23b. the fusion of these two membranes creates an opening through which the sperm nucleus is transferred into the ovum. the nuclear membranes of the egg and sperm break down and the two haploid genomes condense to form a diploid genome.

explanation:

answer: angiosperms

dicots

angiosperms are highly evolved plants, they produce seeds which are enclosed within in a carple. these are the largest group of plants on earth. they include trees, shrubs, herbs and small flowering plants. angiosperms exhibit a flowering stage in their life cycle. the flower serves the function of reproduction and fruit formation in majority of angiosperms. dicot is the term used to describe flowering plants that have two seed leaves. dicots are plants which develop seeds which split into two parts called cotyledons. each cotyledon contains one embryo.

here, a small purple flower development indicates that the plant belongs to angiosperms and having two embryonic leaves indicates it belongs to dicots.