sporocyte

A sporocyte, also called a sporogenous cell or spore mother cell, is a diploid cell in a sporangial tissue that undergoes meiosis to produce haploid spores. It is the spore-producing cell within the sporophyte generation of plants and algae, and in some fungal groups, occurring within sporangia or related structures.

In plants, sporocytes are located in sporangia and give rise to spores after meiosis. In seed plants, microsporocytes in microsporangia produce microspores that develop into pollen grains, while megasporocytes in megasporangia produce megaspores, typically with only one surviving to form the female gametophyte. In heterosporous species, two distinct sporocyte types correspond to male and female spores.

In bryophytes and pteridophytes, sporocytes within sporangia perform meiosis to generate haploid spores that grow into the gametophyte generation. In fungi, a related concept applies in some lineages where spore-producing cells within sporangia or basidia undergo meiosis to yield haploid spores, though fungal terminology for these cells varies and is not universally standardized.

The term sporocyte is most commonly used in botany to refer to spore mother cells such as microsporocytes and megasporocytes; in mycology and phycology, the exact usage can differ and may appear in older or more specialized literature. The concept underpins the alternation of generations by linking the diploid sporophyte to the haploid gametophyte through meiosis-derived spores.