Conidiophore of Hyaloperonospora parasitica harboring several conidiospores

Conidia on conidophores

Conidia, or conidiospores, are asexual, non-motile spores of a fungus; they are also called mitospores due to the way they are generated through the cellular process of mitosis. They are haploid cells genetically identical to the haploid parent, can develop into a new organism if conditions are favorable, and serve in biological dispersal. Conidia are asexual spores of fungus. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (460x858, 78 KB)This image has been extracted, rotated, retouched and resaved from s:The New Students Reference Work. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (460x858, 78 KB)This image has been extracted, rotated, retouched and resaved from s:The New Students Reference Work. ... This article is about human asexuality; asexual reproduction is a separate topic. ... This article is about a biological reproductive structure; for the video game, see Spore (video game). ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Deuteromycota For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ... Mitosis divides genetic information during cell division. ... Haploid (meaning simple in Greek) cells have only one copy of each chromosome. ... Biological dispersal refers to those processes by which a species maintains or expands the distribution of a population. ...

Chain of conidia of Alternaria

Asexual reproduction in Ascomycetes (the Phylum Ascomycota) is by the formation of conidia, which are borne on specialized stalks called conidiophores. The morphology of these specialized conidiophores is often distinctive of a specific species and can therefore be used in identification of the species. There are two main types of conidium development: Species Many, see text Alternaria is a genus of ascomycete fungi. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

• blastic conidiogenesis, where the spore is already evident before it separates from the conidiogenic hypha which is giving rise to it, and

• thallic conidiogenesis, where first a cross-wall appears and then the thus created cell develops into a spore.

Hyphae as seen under a log A hypha (plural hyphae) is a long, branching filament found primarily in fungi, but also in fungus-like bacteria such as Actinomyces and Streptomyces. ...

Health issues

Conidiospores are present in the air all the time, however levels fluctuate from day to day and with the seasons. An average person inhales 40 conidia per hour.

Conidia are often the method by which fungi establish infection in the immunocompromised. Their immune system is not strong enough to fight off the fungi as it colonises the lung, resulting in a pulmonary infection. Immunosuppression is the medical suppression of the immune system. ... The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The lung is an organ belonging to the respiratory system and interfacing to the circulatory system of air-breathing vertebrates. ...

See also

• Conidiophore
• Chlamydospore
• Arthroconidium
• Phialide
• Gemma
• Asexual reproduction