Difference Between Zoospore and Conidia

The key difference between zoospore and conidia is their motility. Zoospores possess flagella and are motile while conidia are non-motile as they do not possess flagella.

Asexual reproduction is the process that does not involve the production of gametes. Moreover, spores are asexual structures. Zoospores and conidia are asexual spores that facilitate asexual reproduction in algae and fungi, respectively.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Zoospore
3. What is Conidia
4. Similarities Between Zoospore and Conidia
5. Side by Side Comparison – Zoospore vs Conidia in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Zoospore?

Zoospores are asexual spores usually found in algae. They possess flagella that aid in locomotion. Zoospores lie inside a sporangium. The sporangium is a sac-like structure that holds the zoospores. Zoospore production takes place internally. Hence, they are endogenous spores. Moreover, zoospores are unicellular in nature. They do not possess a cell wall; therefore, they are highly vulnerable to harsh conditions. However, they have a fast rate of cell division.

Figure 01: Zoospore

Furthermore, zoospores have endogenous food reserves. The release of zoospores takes place through a process called encysting. After releasing, zoospore gives rise to a new organism under favourable conditions.

What are Conidia?

Conidia are another type of asexual spores usually found in fungi. Conidia are present in the conidiophores located at the tip of the hyphae of the fungal mycelia. Conidiophores are not sac-like structures. Moreover, conidia production takes place externally. Hence, conidia are exogenous spores, unlike zoospores.

Figure 02: Conidia and Conidium

Conidia differ from one fungal species to another. They vary in size, shape, septation and branching. Conidia can be either unicellular or multicellular. Conidiogenesis is the process of development of conidia. It has two stages: blastic conidiogenesis and thallic conidiogenesis.

What are the Similarities Between Zoospore and Conidia?

Zoospore and conidia are two types of asexual spores.
Production of both zoospores and conidia takes place via mitosis.
Both are haploid in nature.
Moreover, both can give rise to a new organism.

What is the Difference Between Zoospore and Conidia?

Zoospore and conidia are asexual spores found in algae and fungi, respectively. Zoospores are motile and possess flagella while conidia are non-motile, and lack flagella. So, this is the key difference between zoospore and conidia. Moreover, zoospores are much smaller in comparison to conidia. Hence, their size is also a difference between zoospore and conidia. Furthermore, zoospores are unicellular while conidia are either unicellular or multicellular. Additionally, zoospores are endogenous spores while conidia are exogenous spores.

The below infographic summarizes more information regarding the difference between zoospore and conidia.

Summary – Zoospore vs Conidia

Zoospores and conidia are asexual structures found in algae and fungi, respectively. Both are haploid cells present in the tips of their hyphae. Zoospores possess flagella; hence, they are motile. In contrast, conidia are non-motile, and they do not possess flagella. Therefore, this is the key difference between zoospore and conidia. Both participate in asexual reproduction. Furthermore, zoospores lack a cell wall while conidia possess a cell wall. Moreover, zoospores are unicellular in nature, whereas conidia are unicellular or multicellular.

Reference:

1. “FUNGI REPRODUCING ASEXUALLY BY MEANS OF CONIDIA.” Conidia, Available here.
2. “The Microbial World: Fungal Zoospores.” Zoospores, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Zoospores – Reproductive Structure of the Phytophthora” – Reproduced courtesy of Matteo Garbelotto, UC Berkeley [A, D], and Edwin R. Florance, Lewis & Clark College [Portland, Oregon, United States] and the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station in Albany, California [B, C].) – (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Conidium” By en:user – Picture from English Wikipedia.. Uploaded 09:07, 29 January 2006 . . This user has left wikipedia (Talk – contribs) . . 460×858 (79,999 bytes) (Also, this image has been extracted, rotated, retouched and resaved from s:The New Student’s Reference Work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia