A specialized spore or reproductive cell, especially in diatoms, that can grow to a larger size and restore the species to its normal size after repeated generations have caused size reduction.
From 'auxo-' (growth) and 'spore' (from Greek 'spora,' seed). The term emerged in protozoology to describe the unique reproductive strategy diatoms use to counteract miniaturization.
Diatoms have a wild growth problem: every time they divide, they get slightly smaller because their glass-like shells can't shrink. Auxospores are their solution—they reset the organism to full size! It's like nature's refresh button.
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