Final answer:
Haploid cells, like gametes, contain one set of chromosomes, while diploid cells have two sets. Sexual reproduction involves the fusion of haploid gametes to form a diploid zygote. Plants exhibit alternation of generations, alternating between haploid gametophytes and diploid sporophytes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Haploid and diploid are terms that describe the number of chromosome sets found in cells. Haploid cells (n), such as gametes (sperm and egg cells), contain one set of chromosomes, whereas diploid cells (2n), like most body cells, have two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent. During sexual reproduction, haploid gametes from two individuals fuse through fertilization, forming a diploid zygote, which will undergo cell division via mitosis for growth or healing, and further development into a multicellular organism.
Alternation of generations refers to the life cycles in which organisms alternate between haploid and diploid stages. In the plant life cycle, the gametophyte is the haploid stage, while the sporophyte is the diploid stage. The sporophyte generates spores through a process called meiosis, a type of cell division in which a diploid cell divides to produce haploid daughter cells that are not identical to their parent given the genetic recombination and chromosome separation that occurs.
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