microspore

/'maikrəspɔ:/

Thân thiện

A microspore develops into a pollen grain inside a flower's anther.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small spore in heterosporous plants: A microspore is the smaller of the two types of spores produced by heterosporous plants, such as seed plants and some ferns. It develops within a pollen sac and gives rise to a male gametophyte, which ultimately produces sperm cells.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • In flowering plants, the microspore undergoes mitosis to form the pollen grain.
  • The development of the male gametophyte begins with a single microspore.

Advanced Usage

• "Microspore mother cell": A diploid cell that undergoes meiosis to produce four haploid microspores.
  • The microspore mother cell divides to form a tetrad of microspores.

Variants and Related Words

• Microsporangium (n): The sporangium or sac in which microspores are produced.
  • The anther of a flower contains microsporangia.
• Microsporogenesis (n): The process of microspore formation.
  • Microsporogenesis involves the meiotic division of microspore mother cells.

Synonyms

• Male spore: A descriptive synonym emphasizing its role in producing the male gametophyte.

Related Terms (Contextual)

• Megaspore (n): The larger spore in heterosporous plants, which develops into a female gametophyte. This is the direct counterpart to a microspore.
  • The ovule produces megaspores, while the anther produces microspores.

Học thuật

Noun

1. smaller of the two types of spore produced in heterosporous plants; develops in the pollen sac into a male gametophyte