zygospore

American  

[zahy-guh-spawr, -spohr, zig-uh-] / ˈzaɪ gəˌspɔr, -ˌspoʊr, ˈzɪg ə- /

noun

Botany, Mycology.

1. a cell formed by fusion of two similar gametes, as in certain algae and fungi.

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zygospore British  

/ ˈzɪɡ-, ˈzaɪɡəʊˌspɔː /

noun

1. a thick-walled sexual spore formed from the zygote of some fungi and algae

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zygospore Scientific  

/ zī′gə-spôr′,zĭg′ə- /

1. A large, multinucleate spore formed by union of isogametes (gametes that are not distinguished by size and structure), as in certain algae or fungi. A zygospore develops thick, resistant walls and enters a period of dormancy before germinating.

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Other Word Forms

• zygosporic adjective

Etymology

Origin of zygospore

First recorded in 1860–65; zygo- + -spore

Example Sentences

When the zygospore germinates, it undergoes meiosis and produces haploid spores, which will, in turn, grow into a new organism.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The zygospore thus formed slowly increases in size, until it in its turn develops a new generation of zoöspores.

From Taboo and Genetics A Study of the Biological, Sociological and Psychological Foundation of the Family by Knight, Melvin Moses

After a long period of rest, this zygospore allows the whole of its contents to escape as a swarm-spore, which after a time secretes a gelatinous wall, and by division reproduces the sixteen-celled family.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 531, March 6, 1886 by Various

These free-swimming cells, which apparently are formed only to reunite with each other, are called zoöspores, while the organism which results from their fusion is known as a zygospore.

From Taboo and Genetics A Study of the Biological, Sociological and Psychological Foundation of the Family by Knight, Melvin Moses

During this formation of the zygospore, the two arched cells whence the zygospore originated develop a series of dichotomous processes in close proximity to the walls which separate them from the zygospore.

From Fungi: Their Nature and Uses by Cooke, M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt)