Name: Ally McCabe
Date: August 3, 2016
Biology 11 Unit 6 Assignment 1: What is the life cycle of a Simple Plant Virtual Lab
Instructions:
Please complete the What is the Life Cycle of a Simple Plant Virtual Lab.
External Link:
http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/LS10/LS10.html
Read the information and procedures provided in the lab and complete the journal questions
(provided below). Please note you should be answering your questions in detail, by providing
support in the form of data values (external or from the lab) and/or scientific information/
research to explain your statements.
Journal Questions:
1. What is meant by an alteration-of-generations life cycle?
Alternations-of-generations life cycle means having both a haploid an diploid form of an
organism, and switching between them. The diploid generation is called the sporophyte
stage, and the haploid generation is called the gametophyte stage.
2. What is the main function of the mature gametophyte?
The main function of the mature gametophyte is to make sex cells called gametes through
mitosis, and they eventually form a zygote.
3. What is the main function of the mature sporophyte?
The main function of the mature sporophyte is to produce spores by meiosis.
4. Discuss in detail how a fern plant can reproduce both sexually and asexually. You may
want to use or sketch out images to reference your explanation.
A fern plant can reproduce both asexually and sexually. They reproduce asexually by
their modified stems, rhizomes, through fragmentation, when parts of a plant break off
and form new plants. They reproduce sexually from sporangium, through meiosis.
5. Based on what you know about fern reproduction, why do you think ferns tend to inhabit
moist environments? What adaptations does it have to this environment?
I assume ferns need moist environments because their reproductive systems depend on
water. The spores they release are made for water as they swim across water to find
spores of the opposite sex to reproduce.
Image of your Lab:
Please include a screenshot image of your completed life cycle from your virtual lab below
(which will reveal the fern life cycle).