ascospore

[as-kuh-spawr, -spohr]

noun

Mycology.

1. a spore formed within an ascus.

ascospore

/ ˈæskəˌspɔː /

noun

1. one of the spores (usually eight in number) that are produced in an ascus

ascospore

1. A sexually produced fungal spore formed within an ascus of ascomycetes. Ascospores have a haploid number of chromosomes and are formed by meiosis of the diploid zygote that results when the nuclei of sexually compatible hyphae fuse together. When an ascospore is released and lands in a place that is rich in nutrients, it germinates and sends out hyphae of its own.

Other Word Forms

• ascosporic adjective
• ascosporous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ascospore¹

First recorded in 1870–75; asco- + spore

Example Sentences

That is, inside the ascus, a diploid fungal nucleus undergoes meiosis — or sexual, reductive cell division — to produce ascospores.

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Then by a special method, described first by Harper, a mass of protoplasm is cut out round each nucleus; thus eight uninucleate ascospores are formed by free-cell formation.

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The spores of Ferns, ascospores, and some conidia are also liberated explosively.

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These latter are thus seen to be carpospores, comparable to those of Red Alg�, and to the ascospores of Ascomycetes.

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Typically, an ascus is a cylindrical or club-shaped structure containing at maturity eight ascospores, which are usually liberated explosively and thereafter dispersed by the wind.

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