noun
- Plural of gametangium; specialized structures in fungi and algae that produce and contain gametes (sex cells).
Usage: biology; mycology; technical term
Examples
- The gametangia of the fungus develop at the tips of specialized hyphae.
- In many algae species, gametangia are the organs responsible for sexual reproduction.
- Botanists examined the gametangia under a microscope to study the organism's reproductive cycle.
- The formation of gametangia marks the transition from vegetative to sexual reproduction in these organisms.