noun
- An organism that is haploid during most of its life cycle, with the diploid stage occurring only briefly during sexual reproduction.
Usage: biology; technical
Examples
- Many fungi are haplonts, spending most of their life cycle with a single set of chromosomes.
- In haplonts, the zygote undergoes meiosis immediately after formation, restoring the haploid state.
- Algae such as Chlamydomonas are classic examples of haplonts studied in biology courses.
- The haplont life strategy is common in organisms with short generation times.