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 gives 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.
Bryophyte Generations
Bryophytes are nonvascularized plants that are still dependent on a moist environment for
survival. Like all plants, the bryophyte life cycle goes through both haploid (gametophyte)
and diploid (sporophyte) stages. The gametophyte comprises the main plant (the green moss
or liverwort), while the diploid sporophyte is much smaller and is attached to the
gametophyte. The haploid stage, in which a multicellular haploid gametophyte develops from
a spore and produces haploid gametes, is the dominant stage in the bryophyte life cycle. The
mature gametophyte produces both male and female gametes, which join to form a diploid
zygote. The zygote develops into the diploid sporophyte, which extends from the
gametophyte and produces haploid spores through meiosis. Once the spores germinate, they
produce new gametophyte plants and the cycle continues.
Tracheophyte Generations
Tracheophytes are plants that contain vascular tissue; two of the major classes of
tracheophytes are gymnosperms (conifers) and angiosperms (flowering plants).
Tracheophytes, unlike bryophytes, have developed seeds that encase and protect their
embryos. The dominant phase in the tracheophyte life cycle is the diploid (sporophyte) stage.
The gametophytes are very small and cannot exist independent of the parent plant. The
reproductive structures of the sporophyte (cones in gymnosperms and flowers in
angiosperms), produce two different kinds of haploid spores: microspores (male) and
megaspores (female). This phenomenon of sexually differentiated spores is called
heterospory. These spores give rise to similarly sexually differentiated gametophytes, which
in turn produce gametes. Fertilization occurs when a male and female gamete join to form a
zygote. The resulting embryo, encased in a seed coating, will eventually become a new
sporophyte.

Figure %: Gymnosperm Life Cycle

Figure %: Angiosperm Life Cycle