Final answer:
The life cycle of fungi, algae, and plants involves the formation of spores, germination of spores, vegetative growth, reproduction, and the sporophytic phase. In fungi and algae, the multicellular haploid structures are formed through mitosis, while in plants, they are formed through meiosis. The life cycles of all three organisms involve alternation of generations, with haploid and diploid phases.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the fungal life cycle, spores are formed through the union of haploid cells, creating a diploid zygote that immediately undergoes meiosis, yielding four haploid spores.
When favorable conditions arise, these spores germinate, forming multicellular haploid structures through mitosis, eventually developing into the mycelium.
Reproduction occurs as the mycelium produces specialized structures, basidia, or sporangia, initiating sexual reproduction to produce spores.
Similarly, the algae life cycle involves the formation of spores through the meiotic division of a diploid zygote.
Spores germinate into multicellular haploid structures, developing into the thallus or gametophyte.
Reproduction involves the production of gametangia, leading to the formation of gametes.
Fusion of gametes results in a diploid zygote, growing into the sporophyte, which, in turn, produces spores, completing the life cycle.
Plants exhibit a similar cycle but with the initial formation of haploid spores from diploid cells in the sporophyte.
The gametophyte produces gametangia, facilitating sexual reproduction, resulting in the formation of a diploid zygote that matures into a sporophyte. The sporophyte, in turn, produces spores through meiosis, completing the plant life cycle.