Seeds, therefore, are more resistant to harsh conditions and require less energy to start mitosis. However, the terms are somewhat interchangeable when referring to gametes.Ī chief difference between spores and seeds as dispersal units is that spores have very little stored food resources compared with seeds, and thus require more favorable conditions in order to successfully germinate. In common parlance, the difference between 'spore' and ' gamete' (both together called gonites) is that a spore will germinate and develop into a sporeling, while a gamete needs to combine with another gamete before developing further. Statismospore are not actively discharged from the fungal fruit body, similarly to a puffball. Ballistospore are actively discharged from the body of a fungal fruit (such as a mushroom).

Autospore cannot move and cannot develop flagella. Aplanospore cannot move, but may potentially grow flagella. Zoospore can move by means of one or more flagella, and can be found in some algae and fungi. Spores can be differentiated by whether they can move or not. Mitosporic fungi are also known as anamophic fungi (compare teleomorph or deuteromycetes). An example is the parent of gametophytes of the higher vascular plants ( angiosperms and gymnosperms)-the microspores (give rise to pollen) and megaspores (or macrospores) (give rise to ovules) found in flowers and cones these plants accomplish dispersal by means of seeds.Ī mitospore ( conidium, conidiospore) is an asexually produced propagule, the result of mitosis. Meiospores are the product of meiosis (the critical cytogenetic stage of sexual reproduction), meaning that they are haploid, and give rise to a haploid daughter cell(s) or a haploid individual. Since fungi are often classified according to their spore-producing structures, these spores are often characteristic of a particular taxon of the fungi, such as Ascomycota or Basidiomycota. In fungi and fungus-like organisms, spores are often classified by the structure in which meiosis and spore production takes place, such as a telium, ascus, basidium, or oogonium, which produce teliospore, ascospores, basidiospores, and oospores, respectively. In fungi, chlamydospores are thick-walled resting spores, and zygospores are thick-walled resting spores (hypno zygotes) of zygomycetous fungi which are produced by sexual gametocystogamy and can give rise to a conidiophore ('zygosporangium') with asexual conidiospores. Spores can be classified in several ways.ĭiaspores are dispersal units of fungi, mosses, ferns, fern allies, and some other plants. The term derives from the ancient Greek word σπορα, meaning seed. Fungi that produce spores are known as sporogenous, and those that do not are asporogenous. The term can also be loosely applied to some animal resting stages. The term spore may also refer to the dormant stage of some bacteria or archaea however these are more correctly known as endospores and are not truly spores in the sense discussed in this article. By contrast, gametes are the units of sexual reproduction as two gametes need to fuse to create a new organism.

Spores are the units of asexual reproduction as a single spore develops into a new organism. Haploid spores produced by mitosis (known as mitospores) are used by many fungi for asexual reproduction. This cycle is known as alternation of generations, but a better term is 'biological life cycle', as there may be more than one phase and so it cannot be an alternation. Two gametes fuse to create a new sporophyte. Once conditions are favorable, the spore can develop into a new organism using mitotic division, producing a multicellular gametophyte, which eventually go on to produce gametes. Spores are usually haploid and unicellular and are produced by meiosis in the sporophyte. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, fungi and some protozoans. In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersion and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Risk calculators and risk factors for Spore US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Spore Articles on Spore in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Spore definition biology