Alternation of Generations in Plants

What is the unique characteristic of plant life cycles?

What is the diploid stage of a plant called?

What is the purpose of alternation of generations in plants?

What is the difference between plants and animals in terms of their haploid phase?

What is true about all plants in terms of their life cycle?

What is the role of meiosis in the life cycle of plants?

What is the term used to describe the number of sets of chromosomes in a cell?

What is the dominant stage in the life cycle of bryophytes?

What is the result of fertilization in the life cycle of plants?

What is the characteristic of diploid cells?

What is the main difference between bryophytes and more complex plants in terms of their life cycle?

What is the function of the gametophyte stage in the life cycle of plants?

What is the ploidy of the cells in the sporophyte stage?

What is the purpose of the sporangium in the life cycle of plants?

What is the difference between the type of cell division that occurs in the gametophyte stage and the sporophyte stage?

Alternation of Generations in Plants

Alternation of generations is a unique life cycle found in plants, where they alternate between two different stages of life: diploid (sporophyte) and haploid (gametophyte).
Each generation of the plant looks like its grandparent, not its parent.

Diploid and Haploid Stages

Diploid (sporophyte) stage: 2n, has two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.
Haploid (gametophyte) stage: n, has one set of chromosomes.
Diploid sporophyte cells contain one set of chromosomes from each parent.
Haploid gametophyte cells contain only one set of chromosomes.

Alternation of Generation Life Cycle

The life cycle starts with a diploid sporophyte, which produces spores through meiosis.
The spores develop into a haploid gametophyte, which produces gametes (sex cells).
Two gametes of opposite sex unite in fertilization, forming a diploid zygote.
The zygote grows into a diploid sporophyte, and the cycle begins again.

Gametophyte Stage

The gametophyte stage is the haploid stage, which produces gametes (sex cells).
It begins as a spore, which grows into a multi-celled organism through mitosis.
The gametophyte stage can be independent and survive outside the plant.

Sporophyte Stage

The sporophyte stage is the diploid stage, which grows from the fusion of male and female sex cells.
It produces spores through meiosis, which contain one set of chromosomes.
The sporophyte stage can be dominant in some plants, such as ferns and angiosperms.

Evolution of Alternation of Generation

In bryophytes, the gametophyte stage is dominant, and the sporophyte stage is temporary.
In more complex plants, such as ferns and angiosperms, the sporophyte stage is dominant, and the gametophyte stage is small and temporary.
As plants evolved, the gametophyte stage became smaller and less long-lived, and the diploid sporophyte stage became the dominant life stage.

Explore the unique life cycle of plants, where each generation alternates between two distinct stages. Understand the fascinating process of Alternation of Generations in plant life cycles.