Spores
Moulds and many other fungi, and also mosses and ferns, reproduce with spores: tiny, light, tough cells made in their thousands inside spore cases. The wind and water carry them, they survive dryness and cold for a long time, and where it is warm, damp and there is food, each grows into a new living thing like its parent. Air is full of mould spores, which is why bread grows mould in a closed bag. Mould spoils food and some make poisons, but one mould gave us penicillin, the first antibiotic, found by Alexander Fleming in 1928.
Depth 1 · Foundation
You can describe spores and spore cases, explain how spores spread and what they need to grow, say why bread grows mould on its own, and why mouldy bread shouldn't be eaten.
Sign in to prove what you know with a short quiz, see how deep you've gone, and earn XP for it.
Sign in with GoogleDepths of understanding
- 1
Foundation
You can describe spores and spore cases, explain how spores spread and what they need to grow, say why bread grows mould on its own, and why mouldy bread shouldn't be eaten.
Your path here
What's still between you and Spores, depth 1, in the order you can learn it.
- 1CellsDepth 1 · Foundation · The Cell
- 2Parts of a cellDepth 1 · Foundation · The Cell
- 3Parts of a cellDepth 2 · Deeper · The Cell
- 4DNADepth 1 · Foundation · Genes and Inheritance
- 5Cell divisionDepth 1 · Foundation · Genes and Inheritance
- 6Asexual reproductionDepth 1 · Foundation · Life and Its Variety
- 7SporesDepth 1 · Foundation · Life and Its Variety