Definition

• The sporophyte generation in plants arises after sexual reproduction. Each cell of the sporophyte contains two sets of chromosomes, compared to a single set for the gametophyte generation. In all plants except mosses, the plant spends most of its life cycle in the sporophyte generation.
  
  

Life Cycle

• After sexual reproduction, most plants produce seeds. These seeds give rise to the sporophyte generation, which undertakes vegetative growth. When the sporophyte plant becomes ready to reproduce, it produces the gametophyte generation, which generates the sex cells that allow sexual reproduction to begin again, producing sporophyte offspring.
  
  

Gametophyte

• The sporophyte and gametophyte generations must both occur during plant reproduction. In more recently evolved plants, including all seed plants, the gametophyte generation remains dependent on the sporophyte generation. Primitive plants such as mosses and ferns show a gradual shift toward a more dominant sporophyte.