1. the production of two different types of spores by a plant, typically a smaller male spore and a larger female spore.
Usage: biology; botany; technical

Examples

• Heterospory is a key characteristic that distinguishes certain ferns and club mosses from their homosporous relatives.
• The evolution of heterospory allowed plants to develop more specialized reproductive strategies.
• In heterospory, microspores develop into male gametophytes while megaspores develop into female gametophytes.
• Many seed plants exhibit heterospory as part of their reproductive cycle.
• The presence of heterospory in a plant species indicates a more advanced level of sexual differentiation.