A carpospore is a

diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respecti ...

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...

produced by red algae. After fertilization, the alga's

carpogonium The carpogonium (plural ''carpogonia'') is the female organ in the Red Algae (Rhodophyta) which have a highly specialized type of reproduction. It contains the reproductive nucleus. It may contain a number of cells usually without chloroplasts. It ...

subdivides into carpospores, and generally the largest type of spore (larger than bispores, which are larger again than tetraspores). The wall of the carposporangium then breaks down, releasing the spores into the environment.

References

Red algae {{rhodophyta-stub