Autospore

Reproduction of Radiococcus and Tetracoccus by forming 4 autospores within a single cell

Autospores are a type of spores that are produced by algae to enable asexual reproduction and spread. They are non-motile and non-flagellated aplanospores that are generated within a parent cell and have the same shape as the parent cell before their release.[1] Autospores are also known as resting spores.[2] Algae primarily use three different types of spores for asexual reproduction - autospores, zoospores, and aplanospores.[3] Autospores occur in several groups of algae, including Eustigmatophyceae, Dinoflagellates, and green algae. One example of a colonial alga that produces autospores is Dichotomococcus. This alga generates two autospores per reproducing cell, and the autospores escape through a slit in the cell wall and remain attached to the mother cell.[4] Some study on autospores and algae in general include looking into its use for biofuel, animal feed, food supplements, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals.[5]

  1. ^ van den Hoek C, Mann, D.G., Jahns, H.M. (1995). Algae: An Introduction to Phycology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 455.
  2. ^ Sahoo A (2022-01-10). "Reproduction in Algae". Biology Learner. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  3. ^ "Reproduction in Algae". Biocyclopedia. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  4. ^ Thompson RH (1952). "A New Genus and New Records of Algae in the Chlorococcales". American Journal of Botany. 39 (6): 365–367. doi:10.1002/j.1537-2197.1952.tb14287.x. JSTOR 2438780.
  5. ^ Ru IT (2020). "Chlorella vulgaris: a perspective on its potentialfor combining high biomass with high valuebioproducts". Applied Phycology. 1 (1): 2–11. Bibcode:2020APcgy...1....2R. doi:10.1080/26388081.2020.1715256 – via ResearchGate.