Answer – Spores are cells needed for asexual reproduction, and are found in bacteria, fungi and plants.
Explanation:
The term spore is derived from the Ancient Greek word for “seed”. It is an essential stage in the reproductive cycles of organisms like plants, bacteria and fungi.
Spores are cells that serve as modes for asexual reproduction. A spore is usually haploid, and undergoes mitotic division to grow into the larger organism. This is in opposition to gametes, which are of two kinds – the two sexes male and female. These fuse together to result in the diploid zygote which eventually grows into the organism.
In plants, spores provide the means for asexual reproduction in the cycle known as alternation of generations.
Spores also serve an additional function – that of survival. This is particularly noted in bacteria. Bacterial spores are dormant cells protected by a cell wall-like structure that protects it from difficult environmental conditions. Under more favorable circumstances, the cell becomes active and can reproduce and grow.
Their durability also renders spores as an ideal means of dispersal of the organism.
