Life Cycle

Before my babies start growing, I better explain their life cycle. The life cycle of a plant involves the alternation of two generations: gametophyte and sporophyte generations. The sporophyte generation is asexual and has diploid cells, meaning during this phase each cell has two sets of chromosomes. A zygote form the sporophyte when it is fertilized. Meiosis is the division stage, cutting the number of chromosomes in each cell in half, which makes the sporophyte produce haploid spores which will form the next gametyophyte generation. During the gametyophyte generation, gametes are formed and have only one set of chromosomes in them. This phase is sexual. Spores are the first cells in this generation and undergo mitosis which creates identical cells with the same number of chromosomes. Male and female gametes with the same number of chromosomes are formed. When they meet, they fuse together and fertilize, forming the zygote which is now a diploid. Then the cycle repeats when this diploid forms the next alternating sporophyte generation.