sorus
{{short description|Cluster of sporangia in ferns and fungi.}}
{{for|the villages in Azerbaijan|Soru, Azerbaijan|Sors, Azerbaijan}}
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File:SoriDicksonia.jpg. Each circular brown structure is an individual sorus.]]
A sorus ({{plural form}}: sori) is a cluster of sporangia (structures producing and containing spores) in ferns and fungi. A coenosorus ({{plural form}}: coenosori) is a compound sorus composed of multiple, fused sori.
Etymology
This Neo-Latin word is from Ancient Greek σωρός (sōrós 'stack, pile, heap').
Structure
In lichens and other fungi, the sorus is surrounded by an external layer. In some red algae, it may take the form of depression into the thallus.
In ferns, the sori form a yellowish or brownish mass 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 ({{plural form}}: indusia), which forms an umbrella-like cover.
Life cycle significance
Sori occur on the sporophyte generation, the sporangia within producing haploid meiospores. As the sporangia mature, the indusium shrivels so that spore release is unimpeded. The sporangia then burst and release the spores.
As an aid to identification
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.
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Gallery
Image:Сорус папоротника Polypodium aureum.jpg|Sorus of Phlebodium aureum
Image:Scattered-sori.jpg|Scattered sori
Image:Linear sori.jpg|Linear sori
Image:Dense sori.jpg|Sori covering a frond's entire underside (acrostichoid)
Image:Immature sorus.jpg|Fern sorus with immature sporangia
Image:Round sori.jpg|Circular sori with mature sporangia
Image:Rumohra adiantiformis sori 01.jpg|Sori with indusia at different stages of development.
File:Triphragmium ulmariae, Meadowsweet Rust.jpg|Fungal sori of the meadowsweet rust gall.
File:Large Sori (fern).JPG|Large sori
File:Polypodium vulgare, sores (Matthieu Gauvain).JPG|Polypodium vulgare
File:Sword fern sori, scale bar 1 mm.tif|Sword fern. The indusia have opened, revealing the sporangia. Scale bar, 1 mm
See also
References and external links
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- [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.