verb
- to reproduce by budding or the formation of gemmae (small asexual reproductive bodies)
Usage: biology; chiefly used in botany and zoology
adjective
- bearing or reproducing by means of gemmae; having buds or bud-like structures
Usage: biology; technical
Examples
- Some mosses gemmate to spread across moist surfaces.
- Certain corals gemmate to form new colonies.
- The gemmate reproduction of liverworts allows rapid colonization of suitable habitats.
- Hydra can gemmate under favorable environmental conditions.
- Gemmate structures in fungi enable efficient dispersal without spore formation.