A small spore that develops into a male gametophyte in plants. In flowering plants, microspores mature into pollen grains containing the male reproductive cells.
From Greek 'mikros' meaning 'small' and 'spora' meaning 'seed' or 'spore'. The term emerged in 19th-century botany as scientists recognized the fundamental similarity between pollen grains and the spores of lower plants, establishing the connection between different plant reproductive strategies.
Microspores are like botanical teenagers - they start as identical cells but then undergo dramatic changes to become mature pollen grains! The transformation is so complete that early botanists didn't realize pollen grains were actually modified spores until they studied the developmental process under microscopes.
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