How will an organism be benefited if it reproduces through spores?
An organism benefits from spore reproduction in the following ways:
Spores are covered by thick walls that protect them from unfavorable environmental conditions. This protective covering allows spores to survive even when the surroundings are not suitable for growth.
The spores can remain dormant until they come into contact with a moist surface and favorable conditions to begin growing. This ensures that the organism can wait for the right environment before developing into a new individual.
Through spore formation, organisms can produce many spores within structures called sporangia, ensuring that at least some spores will find suitable conditions to develop into new individuals and continue the species.
Explanation
The textbook explains spore formation in Section 7.2.6, specifically describing how spores in organisms like Rhizopus (bread mould) are protected by thick walls. These thick walls serve as a survival mechanism, allowing spores to remain protected until they encounter favorable conditions (moist surface) for growth. This is a key advantage of spore reproduction - the ability to survive unfavorable conditions and wait for suitable environments to grow.