Difference Between Apogamy and Apospory

Difference Between Apogamy and Apospory: Apogamy and Apospory are the two different types of asexual reproduction that take place in plants. Apospory is one of the types of apomixis that occurs in higher plants where apomixis is the process of formation of plants without any normal sexual means or by process of fertilization. In both the apogamy and apospory process the formation of gametes does not take place. This article describes the detailed difference between Apogamy and Apospory.

Difference between Apogamy and Apospory

The difference between Apogamy and Apospory are as follows:

Parameter	Apogamy	Apospory
Definition	Apogamy is defined as a process of asexual reproduction that takes place in plants sporophyte is developed from gametophyte without the process of fertilization	Apospory is defined as an asexual reproduction in plants where 2n gametophyte is developed directly from the cell of sporophyte without the process of meiosis.
Significance	In Apogamy the embryo is formed without the process of fertilization.	In Apospory gametophyte is formed without the process of formation of spores.
Ploidy	The process of Apogamy produces a haploid embryo.	The process of Apospory produces a diploid gametophyte.
Occurrence	Apogamy occurs in Funaria	Apospory occurs in Anthoceros
Factors affecting	Far-red light intensity Very low concentration of carbohydrates	Low light intensity Young cells such as the tip of the leaf and shoot apex.
Discovered by	This process of Apogamy was discovered by Farlow in the year 1874.	The process of Apospory was first discovered by Druery in the year 1884.
Types	Types of Apogamy: Obligate Apogamy Induced Apogamy	Types of Apospory: Soral Apospory Apical Apospory

What is meant by Apogamy?

Apogamy is defined as a process of asexual reproduction that takes place in plants where the embryo is formed without the process of fertilization. During the process of Apogamy sporophyte is developed from gametophyte without the process of fertilization. Therefore both sporophytes and gametophytes have the same ploidy level. The apogamy process takes place in flowering and non-flowering plants. This process of Apogamy was discovered by Farlow in the year 1874. Some examples of ferns in which the process of Apogamy occurs naturally are Dryopteris, Osmunda, Adiantum, etc.

What is meant by Apospory?

Apospory is defined as an asexual reproduction in plants where gametophyte is developed directly from the cell of sporophyte without the process of meiosis. When gametophyte is formed sporophyte generation is ended because sporophyte is located in the vegetative cells of the plants. As gametophyte is developed from sporophyte, both are diploid and share the same level of ploidy. The process of Apospory is mostly seen in bryophytes. The process of Apospory was first discovered by Druery in the year 1884. Some examples of plants in which the process of apospory occurs are Osmunda javanica, Asplenium dimorphism, pteris aquiline, etc.

Similarities between Apogamy and Apospory

Following are the similarities between Apogamy and Apospory:

1. Apogamy and Apospory both are asexual reproduction processes.
2. Apogamy and Apospory both take place in the plant kingdom.
3. The process of formation of gametes does not take place in both types.
4. In both Apogamy and Apospory, different types of reproduction units are produced by sporophytes.
5. In both Apogamy and Apospory, the same ploidy level is shared by gametophyte and sporophyte.

FAQs on Apogamy and Apospory

Q: Why Apogamy is known as Haploid?

Answer:

In the process of Apogamy sporophyte is formed from gametophyte. This formation of an embryo takes place without fertilization. Therefore apogamy is known as Haploid.

Q: Who discovered the process of Apospory?

Answer:

The process of Apospory was first discovered by Druery in the year 1884.

Q: What is the difference between Apospory and Apomixis?

Answer:

Apomixis is the process of asexual reproduction that takes place through seeds and the embryo is developed without fertilization whereas the Apospory process results in the formation of 2n gametophytes from nonreproductive cells and without the process of meiosis and spores.

Q: What are two types of Apomixis?

Answer:

Apomixis is divided into two types:

• Gametophytic Apomixis: Gametophytic Apomixis takes place when unreduced cells give rise to megagametophytes.
• Sporophytic Apomixis: Sporophytic Apomixis takes place when unreduced cells give rise to the embryo directly.