Fungi - Reproducing styles
Reproducing styles
Most fungi reproduce by releasing tiny particles called sporesA small, usually onecelled, reproductive body that is capable of growing into a new organism.. Usually composed of a single cell, spores are smaller than dust particles and float through the air. A spore contains all the chemicals needed to make its fungus. Wind and water are the two main ways spores spread. Animals can also carry the spores. For example, the stinkhorn fungi produce an odor that attracts flies and beetles, which then carry the spores away.
Spores can end up everywhere—they are in the air, on clothes, plants, and skin. When the spore encounters the right conditions it will grow and develop into the individual fungus.
Fungi can also reproduce by growing and extending their hyphae. Hyphae grow as new cells form at the tips, creating ever-longer chains of...
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