Sporangiophores

A sporangiophore is a specialized hyphal stalk that bears a sporangium, the sac-like structure in which spores develop. In fungi that form sporangia, the sporangiophore elevates the sporangium above the growth substrate to facilitate spore release. The spores produced inside a sporangium are called sporangiospores.

Morphology and development vary among groups, but several common features are recognizable. Sporangiophores arise from the fungal mycelium and can be unbranched or branched. They may be coenocytic (lacking septa) in many mucoralean fungi, though some lineages produce septate sporangiophores. The tip of the sporangiophore typically bears the sporangium directly or via a short stalk, and a sterile region such as a columella or supporting vesicle may be present in some forms. When mature, the sporangium releases its spores into the surrounding environment, often aided by air currents.

Ecology and taxonomy: Sporangiophores are characteristic of certain early-diverging fungal groups, notably the Mucoromycotina and related lineages, where they form conspicuous aerial structures during asexual reproduction. The concept can also apply to sporangiophores in some oomycetes, where a stalk supports the sporangium. Sporangiophores are distinguished from conidiophores, which bear conidia outside a sporangium. The length, branching pattern, and sporangium structure of sporangiophores are used in the identification and classification of species within their respective groups.