This semester, you will be completing a lab using the model organism Sordaria. Sordaria is an ascomycete fungus that is commonly used to study the process of meiosis. In Sordaria, the diploid nucleus that goes through meiosis to produce haploid spores has 14 chromosomes. How many chromosomes are found in the spores?

Explanation:

In biology, the term spore designates a single-celled or multicellular microscopic body that is formed for dispersion and survival purposes for a long time (dormancy) under adverse conditions, and which is generally a haploid cell. In many eukaryotic beings, it is a fundamental part of their reproduction, originating a new organism by dividing by mitosis (especially in fungi) or meiosis (plants), without having to merge with another cell, while in some bacteria it is instead a inactive stage, resistant to desiccation and for non-reproductive survival purposes. The term derives om the Greek σπορά (sporá), "seed".

The spore is an important element in the biological life cycles of plants, fungi, algae and some protozoa, which usually produce spores in structures called sporangia. In plants, spores are gametophytes within their life cycle and allow the dispersion of the propagules at the same time. Most fungi produce spores; those that do not are called asporogenic fungi.