How are spores produced inside the sporangia of lower vascular plants?

In lower vascular plants, spores are produced within specialized structures called sporangia (spore cases). The process occurs through a specialized form of nuclear division known as meiosis.12

Within the sporangia, cells known as spore mother cells (or sporocytes) undergo this meiotic division. During this process, the chromosome number is reduced to a single set for each of the four resulting spores. In some species, a portion of the tissue within the sporangium may be consumed as nutrients by the sporocytes as they complete these divisions.123

The number of spores produced per sporangium varies significantly depending on the species, ranging from a small, definite number in many ferns to an indefinite, large quantity in more primitive groups. Once mature, these spores are released to eventually germinate and develop into the gametophyte generation of the plant's life cycle.241