ap·o·mix·is  (āp'ə-mĭk'sĭs)  n. Reproduction without meiosis or formation of gametes. [apo- + Greek mixis, a mingling (from mignunai, mig-, to mingle; see meik- in Indo-European roots).] |
| apomixis (āp'ə-mĭk'sĭs) Pronunciation Key
The development of an embryo without the occurrence of fertilization. Parthenogenesis is one form of apomixis. In plants, another form of apomixis also occurs, in which the embryo develops from the somatic cells of the ovule surrounding the embryo sac, not from the egg cell within the embryo sac itself. Such embryos are clones of the parent plant, and valuable cultivars of plants such as the fig are propagated using seeds produced through this kind of apomixis. |