In Agaricus bisporus all cytological studies performed until now concerned the pseudohomothallic and bisporic var. bisporus. In the past 12 y two tetrasporic varieties have been described, the heterothallic var. burnettii and the homothallic var. eurotetrasporus. Our aim was to compare the behavior of the nuclei in the vegetative and reproductive cells of the three varieties with light microscopy (Feulgen and DAPI staining) and transmission electron microscopy. Most of the vegetative cells contained 3-5 nuclei in the three varieties. Nuclear migrations through the septum were detected. In the basidia relative locations of nuclei and vacuoles, meiotic spindle alignments, relative content of nuclear DNA and synaptonemal complexes were measured or observed. From the observation of numerous asynchronous second division of meiosis within basidia of var. bisporus and var. burnettii a new hypothesis emerges to explain the nonrandom distribution of the four meiotic products in the two spores of the bisporic basidia. Karyogamy and meiosis similarly occurred in the three varieties. In the case of A. bisporus var. eurotetrasporus this implies that the reproductive mode is sexual and therefore homothallic in the strict sense. The three different types of life cycles are described.

In Agaricus bisporus all cytological studies performed until now concerned the pseudohomothallic and bisporic var. bisporus. In the past 12 y two tetrasporic varieties have been described, the heterothallic var. burnettii and the homothallic var. eurotetrasporus. Our aim was to compare the behavior of the nuclei in the vegetative and reproductive cells of the three varieties with light microscopy (Feulgen and DAPI staining) and transmission electron microscopy. Most of the vegetative cells contained 3-5 nuclei in the three varieties. Nuclear migrations through the septum were detected. In the basidia relative locations of nuclei and vacuoles, meiotic spindle alignments, relative content of nuclear DNA and synaptonemal complexes were measured or observed. From the observation of numerous asynchronous second division of meiosis within basidia of var. bisporus and var. burnettii a new hypothesis emerges to explain the nonrandom distribution of the four meiotic products in the two spores of the bisporic basidia. Karyogamy and meiosis similarly occurred in the three varieties. In the case of A. bisporus var. eurotetrasporus this implies that the reproductive mode is sexual and therefore homothallic in the strict sense. The three different types of life cycles are described.