Sunday, 24 January 2016

Having it all; sexual and asexual reproduction in Fungi

The world of Fungi continues to amaze me. Today I saw the fruiting bodies of Geoglossum difforme. Fruiting bodies are the small part of the fungus that is above ground, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Fungi cells are asepate (their divisions break down) so that they grown as long cylindrical tubes called hyphae.  These digest their substrate as they grown though it, in this case, a rotting log.  The mass of hyphae form a ball called a mycelium.  Fungal life cycles are complex and can contain asexual and sexual reproduction, whatever maximises the chances of survival.  Fungal spores (mostly asexual) are single cells that are released from the fruiting body for dispersal. Apparently, fungal taxonomy is based upon the type of spore releasing structure. I don't think we'll go there!


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