How Do Zygomycetes Spread Their Spores?

The name of the phylum comes from zygosporangia, the resistant spherical spores that form during sexual reproduction. Zygomycetes are mostly terrestrial in habitat, living in soil or on decaying plant or animal material. ... The mature asexual spores can be dispersed by air, water, or by small animals.

How do zygomycetes reproduce?

Zygomycota usually reproduce asexually by producing sporangiospores. Zygomycota reproduce sexually when environmental conditions become unfavorable. To reproduce sexually, two opposing mating strains must fuse or conjugate, thereby, sharing genetic content and creating zygospores.

What kind of spores do zygomycetes make?

The thallus is haploid, and chitin and chitosan are significant constituents of the hyphal cell wall. Asexual reproduction in the zygomycetes results in nonmotile spores called sporangiospores. Sexual spores, or zygospores, are produced when two morphologically similar gametangia of opposite mating types fuse.