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A sporophyte is the diploid structure or phase of life of a sexually reproducing plant. Each living cell of the sporophyte contains two complete sets of chromosomes. The sporophyte is the dominant life form in ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms (flowering plants).
In plants that undergo alternation of generations, the sporophyte produces haploid spores that develop into a gametophyte. Through mitosis, the gametophyte produces a zygote that becomes the sporophyte. In some plants, the sporophyte is initially parasitic on the gametophyte for a time.
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