noun
- Plural of apospory; a botanical process in which a sporophyte develops from a gametophyte without the formation of spores, bypassing the normal alternation of generations.
Usage: technical; botany; rare
Examples
- Apospories occur in certain fern species where the gametophyte directly produces sporophytic tissue.
- The study of apospories helps botanists understand variations in plant life cycles.
- Some plants exhibit apospories as an adaptation to specific environmental conditions.