The life cycle of a plant involves the alternation of two generation: gametophyte and sporophyte generations. The sporophytes generation is asexual and has diploid cells, meaning during this phase each cell had 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 make the sporophyte produce haploid spores which will form the next gametophyte generation. During the gametophyte generation, gametes are formed and have only one set of chromosomes in them. This phase is sexual. Spores are the first cell 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.
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