The dominant stage in the life cycle of a fern is the

The dominant stage in the life cycle of a fern is the sporophyte. This is because ferns, like other vascular plants, exhibit an alternation of generations, which involves the alternation between two distinct multicellular phases, the haploid gametophyte and the diploid sporophyte. In ferns, the sporophyte generation is the dominant phase and the one that is more visible and long-lived. The sporophyte produces the spores through meiosis, which then germinate to form the gametophyte. The gametophyte produces gametes, which then fuse during fertilization to form the sporophyte. Therefore, the sporophyte is the dominant stage in the fern life cycle.