What is sporangia and controversy

Reproductive organs of plants are specialized formations that perform the function of sexual or asexual reproduction. The first is carried out by flowers, antheridia, archegonia, and the second by sporangia. In this short article, we will pay special attention to the latter. So, what is sporangia?

General concepts

Sporangia are multicellular (in higher plants) and unicellular (in algae) organs, in which spores are formed. Have you ever seen mold on bread? In it you can distinguish tiny black dots, which are also sporangia. One such sporangium can contain up to 50,000 spores, each of which reproduces up to hundreds of millions of new disputes in a few days! That is why mold reproduces incredibly fast.

Disputes in sporangia are similar to small balls covered with a membrane. Sporangia of horsetail, moss-like, fern-like develop on sporophylls and can be collected into sarusses (groups) or be solitary.

Reproduction of ferns

Any fern can be grown from a spore. What is fern sporangia? In raznosporovyh fern-sporiform sporangia are of two types: mega- and microsporangia, producing mega- and microspores, from which female and male sprouts are formed. On the underside of the leaf of an adult plant, you can see small hillocks that are randomly arranged, with strokes or rows. At the extinct ferns they settled down on the ends of branches. Sporangia fern can form a fringed edge or a continuous crust.

For breeding, collect the weeds together with a part of the sheet and put them to dry in a bag of paper that is stored in a cool and dry place. You can store them in the refrigerator and open the package just before sowing. The viability of spores of various species of ferns varies greatly: from several days to 20 years. Disputes for sowing are separated in a place protected from drafts. Without opening the package, you need to knock on it, from which the spores will begin to fall asleep. If this does not happen, then you need to scrape the Sorusa with a knife. The spores are very small and resemble brown powder in appearance.

Reproduction of mushrooms

Asexual reproduction of fungi occurs due to special spores that develop on special branches of mycelium. Spores can be exogenous and endogenous. What is sporangia of fungi? These are special cells, also called sporangiospores. Exogenous spores are formed in organs called conidiophores, and spores by conidia. The higher fungi reproduce only with conidia, the lower ones usually with spores.

Sporangia are formed on sporangiophores. These are special branches of mycelium, which differ in their limited growth, thicker and other features.

By the way, molds give off toxic substances called mycotoxins, which are a potent poison that can harm people and animals. For this, it is not necessary to eat moldy bread or other food. It is enough to open a package or open a bag of moldy food and accidentally inhale spores with air or touch mold.

We hope, now you understand what sporangia is, and you know that in them spores arise, with the help of which plants reproduce. Sometimes spores can be poisonous.