Sexual reproduction begins within the sporangium, where hundreds of cells differentiate that will undergo meiosis. These cells are called spore mother cells. Sex in the royal fern begins in late May or early June with the formation of sporangia on developing leaves and the initiation of meiosis by the spore mother cells. The diploid chromosome number is 44 (in humans it is 46), and each spore mother cell, after meiosis, will yield 4 haploid spores, each with 22 chromosomes; each sporangium forms over 500 spores; each sporophyte forms thousands of sporangia.
By mid-June, every sexually mature royal fern is releasing hundreds of thousands of haploid spores into the surrounding air, at this time the air is thick with spores; a large royal fern population will release literally millions of single-celled spores within a period of a week! Unfortunately, each spore has a major design flaw, royal fern spores have a very limited life span; they die after 2 days! In contrast, other fern species form spores that remain viable for years.
What is the reproduction cycle of a Royal Fern?
Tell me, I'd like to know
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