In ferns, the sporophyte

In ferns, the sporophyte is diploid and independent of the gametophyte. This means that the sporophyte, which is the dominant phase in the fern life cycle, is a separate and distinct organism from the gametophyte. It develops from a fertilized egg (zygote) produced by the fusion of haploid gametes. The sporophyte is responsible for producing spores through a process called meiosis, which are then released into the environment and can grow into new gametophytes. The gametophyte is a small, independent, and short-lived phase that produces gametes through mitosis, which then fertilize to form the diploid zygote. The fern life cycle is an example of alternation of generations, where two distinct phases, gametophyte and sporophyte, alternate in a regular pattern.