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

/ ăs′kə-spôr′ /

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 Words From

• as·co·spor·ic [as-k, uh, -, spawr, -ik, -, spor, -], as·cos·po·rous [as-, kos, -per-, uh, s, as-k, uh, -, spawr, -, -, spohr, -], 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.

From Scientific American

Just as the uredospores and aecidiospores both show these specialized characters in the case of Puccinia graminis so we find that both the conidia and ascospores of E. graminis show this phenomenon.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg