2. Life cycle of plants involve an alternation of generations where plants alternate between a diploid (sporophyte; 2N) and haploid (gametophyte; 1N) phase.
3. Sporophytes (2N) undergo a reduction division (meiosis) to produce haploid spores (1N).
4. Haploid spores (1N) produce gametophytes (via mitosis), which in turn produce male and female gametes (1N).
5. Gametes (1N + 1N) fuse to form zygote (2N); zygote divides by mitosis to form sporophyte.
6. Examples: Ulva, Oedogonium, Fucus; illustration of the major differences between sporophyte and gametophyte stages in some organisms.