Blog #11: A Picture of Alteration of Generations and an Explanation

This picture has the same stages as the life cycle of a fern.

The Life cycle of a typical fern:

1. A sporophyte (diploid) phase produces haploid spores by meiosis.
2. A spore grows by mitosis into a gametophyte, which typically consists of a photosynthetic prothallus.
3. The gametophyte produces gametes (often both sperm and eggs on the same prothallus) by mitosis.
4. A mobile, flagellate sperm fertilizes an egg that remains attached to the prothallus.
5. The fertilized egg is now a diploid zygote and grows by mitosis into a sporophyte (the typical "fern" plant).