spore
Sign in to savethumb|300px|Spores produced in a sporic life cycle thumb|300px|Fresh snow partially covers rough-stalked feather-moss (Bryopsida|Brachythecium rutabulum), growing on a thinned hybrid black poplar (Populus x canadensis). The last stage of the moss lifecycle is shown, where the [[sporophytes are visible before dispersion of their spores: the calyptra (1) is still attached to the capsule (3). The tops of the gametophytes (2) can be discerned as well. Inset shows the surrounding, black poplars growing on sandy loam on the bank of a kolk, with the detail area marked.]]
AI overview
A spore is a tiny reproductive unit produced by plants like mosses, ferns, and fungi that can disperse and develop into new organisms. Spores matter because they are the primary way these plants reproduce and spread to new locations, making them essential to the life cycles of many plant groups.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
12 sectionsContents
- Definition
- Classification of spore-producing organisms
- Plants
- Fungi
- Classification of spores
- External anatomy
- Spore tetrads and trilete spores
- Dispersal
- Origin
- Gallery
- See also
- References
thumb|300px|Spores produced in a sporic life cycle thumb|300px|Fresh snow partially covers rough-stalked feather-moss (Bryopsida|Brachythecium rutabulum), growing on a thinned hybrid black poplar (Populus x canadensis). The last stage of the moss lifecycle is shown, where the [[sporophytes are visible before dispersion of their spores: the calyptra (1) is still attached to the capsule (3). The tops of the gametophytes (2) can be discerned as well. Inset shows the surrounding, black poplars growing on sandy loam on the bank of a kolk, with the detail area marked.]]
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, fungi and protozoa. They were thought to have appeared as early as the mid-late Ordovician period as an adaptation of early land plants.