1. Plural of blastopore; the opening in an embryo that connects the archenteron (primitive gut) to the outside, formed during gastrulation in early animal development.
Usage: biology; developmental biology; technical term

Examples

• During gastrulation, blastopores form as the embryo begins to develop its basic body plan.
• In some organisms, the blastopore eventually closes and disappears, while in others it persists.
• The position and fate of blastopores differ significantly between protostomes and deuterostomes.
• Biologists study blastopores to understand how early embryonic structures give rise to complex organisms.
• The blastopore's location on the embryo helps determine the anterior-posterior axis of the developing animal.