Question

In a plant's life cycle, the ____ is defined as the portion of the life cycle when the plant does not possess the ability to flower.

a) transition phase
b) juvenile phase
c) adult phase
d) gametophyte phase

Answer 1

The B. juvenile phase in a plant's life cycle is the stage prior to the adult phase, in which the plant cannot flower. This phase is distinct from both the gametophyte and the sporophyte stages.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a plant's life cycle, the juvenile phase is defined as the portion of the life cycle when the plant does not possess the ability to flower. This phase precedes the adult (or sporophyte) phase, which is the main phase in the life cycle of angiosperms, where the plant is capable of flowering and reproducing. The juvenile phase can vary in length depending on the species and environmental conditions.

In the life cycles of plants, especially nonvascular seedless plants like mosses, there is an alternation of generations between a haploid gametophyte and a diploid sporophyte. It's important to distinguish between these two phases. The gametophyte is the stage where the plant produces gametes (reproductive cells), whereas the sporophyte is the stage that follows fertilization and typically involves the production of spores. In the context of mosses, the gametophyte stage is visually prominent and constitutes the green carpet-like structure commonly associated with moss.