sporocytes

Sporocytes, or spore mother cells, are diploid cells in the reproductive tissues of many organisms that give rise to spores after undergoing meiosis. They are central to the production of spores in a wide range of life cycles.

In plants, sporocytes reside in sporangia on the sporophyte. The most common forms are microsporocytes and megasporocytes. Microsporocytes undergo meiosis to produce four haploid microspores, which typically develop into male gametophytes (pollen grains in flowering plants). Megasporocytes undergo meiosis to produce typically four haploid megaspores; in many seed plants, only one survives to develop into the female gametophyte that supports the egg. In bryophytes and ferns and related groups, spores released from sporocytes germinate to form haploid gametophytes, continuing the alternation of generations.

In fungi and some algae, sporocytes are the spore-forming cells within sporangia or equivalent structures. They produce haploid spores by meiosis, enabling genetic recombination and dispersal. In many lineages, meiosis in the sporocyte ensures genetic variation among spores; subsequent germination yields new haploid individuals that can fuse with compatible partners or develop into separate generations, depending on the life cycle.

Sporocyte development is regulated by cellular signaling and genetic programs that coordinate meiosis with environmental cues. The term is used broadly, but in plant biology it is most often applied to the spore-forming cells in the sporangia of sporophytes, particularly microsporocytes and megasporocytes.