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Sorus

Translation
Sorus

:"Sori" redirects here. For the commune in Italy, see Sori, Italy; for the villages in Azerbaijan see Soru and Sors, Azerbaijan."

In ferns, a sorus (pl. "sori") is a yellowish or brownish cluster of sporangia on the edge or underside of a fertile frond. In some species, they are protected during development by a scale or film of tissue called the indusium, which forms an umbrella-like cover.

Sori occur on the sporophyte generation, the sporangia within producing haploid meiospores. As the sporongia mature, the indusium shrivels so that spore release is unimpeded. The sporangia then burst and release the spores.

The shape, arrangement, and location of the sori are often valuable clues in the identification of fern taxa. Sori may be circular or linear. They may be arranged in rows, either parallel or oblique to the costa, or randomly. Their location may be marginal or set away from the margin on the frond lamina. The presence or absence of indusium is also used to identify fern taxa.

In fungi and lichens, a sorus is a cluster of sporangia surrounded by an external layer.

Gallery

References and external links

* [http://www.diversityoflife.org/cgi-bin/dol/dol_diagkey.pl?matrix=fernfamily4.winc&new=1 DiversityOfLife] – Fern identification tool.
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9068769 "Encyclopædia Britannica": sorus] 2007. "Encyclopædia Britannica Online". Retrieved 20 November 2007.


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  • Sorus — So rus, n.; pl. {Sori}. [NL., fr. Gr. ? a heap.] 1. (Bot.) One of the fruit dots, or small clusters of sporangia, on the back of the fronds of ferns. [1913 Webster] 2. (a) In parasitic fungi, any mass of spores bursting through the epidermis of a …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Sorus — (Bot.), Fruchthaufen, die zusammengehäuften Fruchtkapseln auf der Rückseite des Laubes der Farrenkräuter …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Sorus — (lat.), Fruchthäuschen, s. Farne, S. 336 …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Sorus — (grch. sōrós), Sporenhäufchen (s. Farne) …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • sorus — /sawr euhs, sohr /, n., pl. sori /sawr uy, sohr uy/. 1. Bot. one of the clusters of sporangia on the back of the fronds of ferns. See diag. under fern. 2. Mycol. a soruslike spore mass of certain fungi and lichens. [1825 35; < NL < Gk sorós heap] …   Universalium

  • Sorus — Sori auf der Blattunterseite des Baumfarnes Dicksonia antarctica Sorus (Plural Sori) bezeichnet an der Unterseite von Farnblättern hängende Gruppen von Sporangien, die an Erhebungen des Blattes (so genannten Plazenten) ansetzen. Sporangien… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • sorus — noun (plural sori) Etymology: New Latin, from Greek sōros heap Date: 1832 a cluster of plant reproductive bodies: as a. a cluster of sporangia on the underside of a fertile fern frond b. a mass of spores bursting through the epidermis of the host …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • sorus — sōrus, i, m. (σαῦρος), ein uns unbekannter Seefisch, Plin. 32, 151 …   Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch

  • sorus — A type of fruiting structure composed of a mass of spores or sporangia …   Dictionary of microbiology

  • sorus — A group of sporangia or spore cases, eg. on the underside of fern leaves …   Dictionary of molecular biology