Question

What is the function of akinetes in spirogyra?

Answer 1

Akinetes:

1. Akinetes are formed in the form of spores.
2. The cell of these spores is thicker and is made of cellulose and pectin.
3. It is a thick-walled resting spore that forms under unfavorable conditions in some species of the order Spirogyra such as S. farlowii.
4. When environmental conditions become difficult for the organism, some filamentous vegetative cells lose water, shrink, and round up.
5. They also create a thick wall around them and act like resting spores.
6. When conditions are favorable again, the akinetes germinate into a new strand.