False colour scanning electron micrograph of a bread mould, ^IMucor mucedo^i, growing on the surface of a slice of bread. Spores circulate freely in the air. When they alight on a favourable medium, they germinate an extensive network of hyphae (threads), the function of which is to absorb nourishment for growth & for the production of sporangia, which contain a new crop of spores. The picture shows the hyphae covering the surface of the bread. The globular structures borne at the ends of specialised hyphae (sporangiophores) are the sporangia, where the spores mature until the wall ruptures & dispersal occurs. Magnification: X 30 at 35mm size. Original is bw print b250/328.