Plant Life Cycles and Generations

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and definitions related to plant life cycles and reproductive processes, focusing on the concepts of haploid, diploid, meiosis, and alternation of generations.

Haploid

Cells that have half the number of chromosomes as the other cells.

Diploid

Cells that have two copies of every chromosome.

Polyploid

Cells that have many copies of every chromosome.

Gametes

Reproductive cells that are haploid (N), such as sperm and egg.

Sporophyte

The diploid (2N) stage that produces spores via meiosis.

Gametophyte

The haploid (N) stage that produces gametes via mitosis.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that produces haploid spores from diploid sporophytes.

Mitosis

A type of cell division that results in the development of gametes from gametophytes.

Alternation of Generations

The lifecycle pattern where plants alternate between haploid (gametophyte) and diploid (sporophyte) stages.

Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca)

A type of algae that demonstrates alternation of generations with both sporophyte and gametophyte stages.

Zygote

The fertilized egg that develops into a sporophyte.

Fusion

The process of gametes coming together to form a zygote.

Phylogenetics of plants

The study of the evolutionary relationships among plant species based on reproductive structures.

Sporophyte Dominance

In some plants, the sporophyte stage is more visually prominent than the gametophyte stage.

Gametophyte Dominance

In mosses, the gametophyte stage is more visually prominent than the sporophyte stage.