What is sporulation and examples

As we have already mentioned, sporulation is a type of asexual reproduction that some organisms share. The asexual reproduction by sporulation may be a mechanism that is part of the natural reproductive cycle of a species, or be an alternative mechanism to hostile and adverse environments that prevent temporarily survival or sexual reproduction. This is because the spores , single-celled structures of propagation, are extremely resistant and can survive environments such as extreme temperatures, floods, droughts or lack of nutrients. We recommend you get to know them better with this other article on What are spores .

There are many organisms capable of resorting to sporulation, but not all do it in the same way. Fungi, plants and bacteria each have their peculiarities in this regard, as we will see below.

The fungal spores , that is, those produced by fungi , are key in reproduction, spread and survival of the species. In your case, a fungus is capable of producing spores by both sexual and asexual reproduction. The former are vital for the adaptation of the species to changes or new environments, while the latter are especially important for the dispersal and colonization capacity of the fungus.

If the spore is produced asexually, the DNA is duplicated and divided by mitosis in the septum. The spore is formed and separated by a plasma membrane, which is then protected with a resistant covering and released into the environment.

In plants, it is necessary to differentiate two main types of species that produce plant spores , we are talking about ferns and bryophytes . Ferns are some of the most primitive vascular plants that exist today, while bryophytes are non-vascular plants , that is, they lack elaborate structures for transporting water and nutrients.

• In the case of ferns, pteridophytes or also called pteridophyte plants , sporogenesis occurs on the underside of the leaves, in structures that are called sporangia or, when it comes to the fusion of several of them, synangia . They produce haploid megaspores that, when released and when conditions are favorable, give rise to a gametophyte that, later on, will be able to produce a new sporophyte capable of starting the cycle once again. We encourage you to know more details about How ferns reproduce by reading this other article.
• Non-vascular plants, bryophyte plants , share a similar cycle, in which meiotic cell division begins at the sporophyte stage, producing a high number of haploid spores. Once in a favorable environment, these germinate producing gametophytes, which will give rise to gametes, capable of merging to form a new sporophyte, thus returning to the diploid phase.

Not all bacteria produce bacterial spores , but those that do have in this mechanism a way of surviving sudden changes in the environment, thus leaving their spores waiting for conditions to become favorable again. Bacterial spores are, in fact, considered the most resistant in nature. In most cases, this process is triggered by the bacteria running out of nutrients and increasing their cell density.

Here it is convenient to differentiate between endospores , produced by bacteria of the firmicutes group and which originate inside the cell, and exospores , which are produced by certain actinobacteria and which are formed externally and by budding.

Some examples of species that use sporulation to reproduce:

• In the case of fungi, reproduction by spores is the most common, and it is common to classify them by the characteristics of their spore-producing structures. They differ according to the spores they produce, such as ascospores, basidiospores or conidia, among others. Therefore, practically any type of fungus or mushroom can be an example of an organism that uses sporulation as a method of reproduction.
• Pteridophytes, commonly called ferns and horsetails , reproduce by spores as they do not have seeds or flowers. There are many types and there are around 10,000 species worldwide, among which are, for example, Asplenium nidus , Cythea , Nephrolepis exaltata or Selaginella willdenowii .
• In bacteria, sporulation takes place, above all, in those belonging to the genera Clostridium and Bacillus , as well as in some cyanobacteria .

Both budding and sporulation are types of asexual reproduction , but while sporulation is based on the formation of spores that are released into the environment, in budding what occurs is the formation of buds in the parent , which once grow and develop they can either separate from it, or form colonies next to it.

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