8 TORREYA 



reproductive bodies include gametes and spores." For the vegetative (asexual) 

 "spores" of algae (zoospores, aplanospores, etc.) she uses the term gonidia. 

 These may be either motile (planogonidia) or non-motile (aplanogonidia). 



In discussions of alternation of generations other than in textbooks, the 

 viewpoint that the sporophyte should be considered a sexual generation has 

 been maintained by Chamberlain (1905) and by Svedelius (1927). The latter, 

 after referring particularly to the life cycle of Funis makes the following state- 

 ment : "From this it is evident how misleading it is to characterize the alter- 

 nation of generations as an alternation between sexual and sexless genera- 

 tions. On the contrary, it is a characteristic feature of this evolutionary process 

 that in the course of the increasing disparity of the generations in the direction 

 of the dominance of the sporophyte, sexuality passes over more and more to 

 the originally 'sexless' generation." To this it may be added that the "sexless" 

 generation need no longer be considered as having been even originally sexless 

 since, as Svedelius himself states in a later paragraph, "In a certain measure 

 reduction is to be regarded as the final act and the goal of fertilization." It is 

 becoming ever more apparent that reduction (meiosis) and fertilization (syn- 

 gamy) are actually and inseparably both involved in the ordinary process of 

 sexual reproduction, together with the generations which precede and initiate 

 them. 



In the voluminous literature referring to sex determination in plants, the 

 sporophytic generation is regularly referred to as exhibiting features of sex- 

 uality. Indeed the very term "sex determination" as it is ordinarily applied 

 to angiosperms, would otherwise be meaningless. "Any genetic analysis of sex 

 in angiosperms must deal almost exclusively with characters of the so-called 

 asexual generation, since those of the much-reduced haploid 'sexual' genera- 

 tion have yet afforded little material for genetic study. To speak of sexual 

 characters in an asexual generation is paradoxical ; but the paradox inheres 

 in the terminology, not in the facts" (Allen, 1932, pp. 97-98). This viewpoint 

 is accepted by Loehwing (1938). 



Thus occurs a paradox in scientific terminology whereby a term in general 

 use admittedly is not even intended to mean what its definition implies. For 

 those who have been "brought up" on such usage to continue to use it while 

 admitting its incorrectness may be in slight degree justifiable; to continue to 

 "bring up" succeeding generations of botanists on an admittedly incorrect 

 viewpoint because of the unwillingness of textbook writers (and I suppose of 

 many teachers) to incorporate new ideas into their teaching is not consistent 

 with the best scientific practice. 



The question of terminolgy then arises in connection with the consideration 

 of the sporophyte as a sexual generation. Sharp (1925) has discussed terms 

 to be used in implying sexuality to the sporophyte and it may be useful to 

 have a set of terms separate from those applied to the gametophyte. We are 



