spore

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.]]

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.

Research

68,263 papers

Spore Resistance Properties.ReviewMicrobiology spectrum · 2014Setlow PDOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.TBS-0003-2012
Spore germination.ReviewCurrent opinion in microbiology · 2003Setlow PDOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2003.10.001
Spore germination.ReviewCellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2002Moir A, Corfe BM, Behravan JDOI: 10.1007/s00018-002-8432-8
Bacterial Spore Inactivation Technology in Solid Foods: A Review.ReviewJournal of food protection · 2025Maojin T, Zheng Z, Ying H et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100479
Bacterial Spore-Based Delivery System: 20 Years of a Versatile Approach for Innovative Vaccines.ReviewBiomolecules · 2023Isticato RDOI: 10.3390/biom13060947
What's new and notable in bacterial spore killing!ReviewWorld journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2021Setlow P, Christie GDOI: 10.1007/s11274-021-03108-0
Updates on Clostridium difficile spore biology.ReviewAnaerobe · 2017Gil F, Lagos-Moraga S, Calderón-Romero P et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2017.02.018
The Bacillus anthracis spore.ReviewMolecular aspects of medicine · 2009Driks ADOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2009.08.001

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Wikidata facts

Image: Sporic meiosis.svg

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Commons category: Spores

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~14 min read

Article

12 sections

Contents

Definition
Classification of spore-producing organisms
Plants
Fungi
Classification of spores
External anatomy
Spore tetrads and trilete spores
Dispersal
Origin
Gallery
See also
References

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.