Members of the zygomycetes are saprobes of decaying plant matter in the soil. Others such as black
bread mold live on stored food.
Rhizopus stolinifer, the common bread mold, can reproduce sexually or asexually. Sexual reproduction begins when two hyphae (different mating strains) grow toward each other and fuse. At the point of contact, the hyphae form gametangia. Tips of gametangia fuse to form a zygosporangium. Nuclei inside the zygosporangium fuse to produce a diploid zygospore. Zygospores may remain dormant. Eventually zygote nuclei undergo meiosis to produce haploid spores. Released haploid spores will germinate to produce stalked structures. From these structures, haploid spores will escape to produce new mycelia.
This video (Audio - Important) describes the life cycle of Rhizopus
REVIEW: Which organism is a member of zygospore-forming fungi?
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