alleryStart learning →Which stage dominates the life cycle of higher plants?
AThe haploid gametophyte stage
BThe diploid sporophyte stage
CThe haploid spore mother cell
DThe diploid megaspore stage
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. The diploid sporophyte stage
1. Both stages occur in every plant life cycle, but they are not equally prominent.
2. In higher plants the sporophyte stage dominates, and the gametophyte is borne on the sporophyte.
3. In ferns the gametophyte is free living and very distinct in structure from the diploid sporophyte.
4. In bryophytes such as mosses the haploid gametophyte is more developed than the sporophyte, which is the reverse case.
5. So dominance shifts with the group, and for higher plants it rests with the sporophyte.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 32 "Plant Reproduction", section 32.1 Reproductive Development and Structure_
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