Question

Which generation in Ferns is the dominant generation and why?

Answer 1

Alternation of generation:

1. When any organism follows sexual and asexual stages of reproduction throughout its life span alternating from one phase to another, this phenomenon is referred to as Alternation of generation.
2. The asexual stage is referred to as the Sporophytic stage, where spores are produced.
3. And Sexual stage is referred to as the Gametophytic stage, where gametes (male and female) are produced.
4. Spores are diploid, whereas gametes are haploid.
5. In Ferns, diploid spores, during favorable conditions, form gametes.
6. These gametes are released and produced nearby.
7. As a male gamete, sperm needs to fertilize the female gamete, the egg.
8. As soon as gamete fusion happens under favorable conditions, fertilization takes place.
9. This leads to the formation of the small prothallus.
10. In this way, the Gametophytic generation takes place from the Sporophytic generation.
11. But gametophyte gives rise to Sporophytic generation due to unfavorable conditions sooner.
12. Sporophytes are large, multicellular, and also photosynthetic in nature.
13. As the Sporophytic generation is longer-lived than the Gametophytic generation, Hence in Ferns, the Sporophytic generation is dominant.
14. Sporophytic generation in Ferns is the dominant generation.