A spore is a small reproductive structure produced by some organisms like fungi, plants, and bacteria. It is capable of growing into a new individual when conditions are favorable. Full definition
By measuring the number of spores in the lake deposits, the Wisconsin team documented the steady disappearance of large animals from 14,800 years to 13,700 years ago, they reported in Thursday's issue of Science. (dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com)
I live in Iowa and our freak snow this spring caused a big outbreak of mold spores on top of the traditional pollen / grasses / everything blooming at once and irritating the heck out of skin and eyes. (4-legger.com)
On many days in some localities the number of fungal spores in the air far exceeds the pollen grains. (tolweb.org)