Life cycle of an angiosperm (flowering plant). A plant alternates between a multicellular diploid (2n) sporophyte and a multicellular haploid (n) gametophyte generation.
  • A mature plant is a multicellular diploid sporophyte with reproductive structures.
  • Anthers contain microsporangia in which germ cells divide by meiosis to produce microspores.
  • Ovaries contain megasporangia in which germ cells divide by meiosis to yield 4 megaspores each.
  • Microspores divide by mitosis to form multicellular male gametophytes (pollen grains), which contain sperm cells.
  • One of the 4 megaspores divides by mitosis to form a multicellular female gametophyte (embryo sac), which contains an egg cell in an ovule.
  • Fertilization (pollination) occurs when a sperm fuses with an egg, producing a diploid single-celled zygote.
  • The zygote develops by mitosis to produce the sporophyte.