Definition for Endospore
From Biology Forums Dictionary
1) A cell with a tough coat that is produced inside the cells of certain bacteria and then released when the enclosing cell dies and breaks down.
2) The Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus and Clostridium can produce endospores. Endospores are stable resting stages that barely metabolize. A vegetative cell normally transforms itself into an endospore under hostile or unfavorable conditions. The process is called sporulation. Depending on the species, a cell forms an endospore either centrally, subterminally (near one end), or terminally (at one end).
