CBSE Class 10 Science 2017 · Paper 31/2 · Question 14

Rhizopus (bread mould) reproduces asexually by spores. Its body is a network of thread-like hyphae growing on moist bread. Some hyphae grow upwards as thin stalks, each bearing a tiny round, knob-like structure at its tip called a sporangium. Inside the sporangium a large number of tiny spores are formed. When the sporangium matures, it bursts and releases the spores, which are light and are carried by air. Each spore is covered by a thick wall that protects it until it comes into contact with a moist surface; there it germinates and grows into a new Rhizopus individual.