Anastomosis

: anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf veins, or streams.

Such a connection may be normal (such as the foramen ovale in a fetus' heart) or abnormal (such as the patent foramen ovale in an adult's heart); it may be acquired (such as an arteriovenous fistula) or innate (such as the arteriovenous shunt of a metarteriole); and it may be natural (such as the aforementioned examples) or artificial (such as a surgical anastomosis).

[6] Studies have been performed comparing various anastomosis approaches taking into account surgical "time and cost, postoperative anastomotic bleeding, leakage, and stricture".

[8] The concept of anastomosis also applies to the theory of symbiogenesis, in which new species emerge from the formation of novel symbiotic relationships.

By sharing materials in the form of dissolved ions, hormones, and nucleotides, the fungus maintains bidirectional communication with itself.

The fungal network might begin from several origins; several spores (i.e. by means of conidial anastomosis tubes), several points of penetration, each a spreading circumference of absorption and assimilation.

Somatically, they form a morphologically similar mycelial wave front that continues to grow and explore.

The significant difference is that each septated unit is binucleate, containing two unfused nuclei, i.e. one from each parent that eventually undergoes karyogamy and meiosis to complete the sexual cycle.

[11] The growth of a strangler fig around a host tree, with tendrils fusing together to form a mesh, is called anastomosing.

[13] Ductile shear zones frequently show anastomosing geometries of highly-strained rocks around lozenges of less-deformed material.