In the life cycle of bryophytes and many other plants, the zygote is the diploid cell formed by the fusion of gametes. Upon germination, the zygote undergoes mitotic divisions to develop into the sporophyte generation, which is the diploid phase of the plant life cycle responsible for producing spores via meiosis.

In the alternation of generations, the sporophyte produces haploid spores through meiosis. These spores are the first cells of the gametophytic generation, as they germinate to form the haploid gametophyte, which eventually produces gametes.