Title: The Life Cycle of Plants: Alternation of Generations | SparkNotes
Headings: The Life Cycle of Plants
The Life Cycle of Plants
Biology
Alternation of Generations
Bryophyte Generations
Tracheophyte Generations

Content: The Life Cycle of Plants: Alternation of Generations | SparkNotes
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The Life Cycle of Plants
Biology
Study Guide
Study Guide
Topics
Introduction and Summary
Alternation of Generations
Problems
Fertilization
Problems
Vegetative Propagation
Problems
Grafting
Problems
Terms
Writing Help
Glossary of Literary Terms
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Summary
Alternation of Generations
Summary Alternation of Generations
All plants undergo a life cycle that takes them through both haploid and diploid generations. The multicellular diploid plant structure is called the sporophyte, which produces spores through meiotic (asexual) division. The multicellular haploid plant structure is called the gametophyte, which is formed from the spore and give rise to the haploid gametes. The fluctuation between these diploid and haploid stages that occurs in plants is called the alternation of generations. The way in which the alternation of generations occurs in plants depends on the type of plant. In bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), the dominant generation is haploid, so that the gametophyte comprises what we think of as the main plant. The opposite is true for tracheophytes (vascular plants), in which the diploid generation is dominant and the sporophyte comprises the main plant.