Fungal Spores

Abstract

Many heterotrophic eukaryotic organisms belong to the monophyletic kingdom Fungi. Because of their stationary life style, fungi reproduce by forming spores, cells that are specialised for dispersal to new locations by air, water or animals. Flagellated zoospores are produced by simple aquatic fungi. Most fungi are terrestrial, growing as hyphae and producing thick‐walled nonmotile spores. Asexual spores include sporangiospores and conidia, whereas sexual spores include zygospores, ascospores and basidiospores. Ascospores and basidiospores often are forcibly ejected into the air. Sporulation requires favourable nutritional and environmental conditions such as light and temperature, and involves cellular signalling and metabolic responses. As spores mature, their walls thicken, energy reserves such as lipid are acccumulated, and their metabolism decreases as they prepare for dormancy. Mature spores may undergo either exogenous or constitutive dormancy before germination. Upon germination, metabolic acitivity increases and a germ tube emerges from the spore. Key Concepts: Fungal spores have a unique role in fungal life cycles as they provide the genetic link between one generation and another. Spores can be part of asexual or sexual reproductive cycles, and are sometimes borne by multicellular sporocarps. Spores in part owe their success to their thick walls, reserve energy source, low metabolic rate and ability to withstand environmental stress that enables them to survive during dispersal. Some fungi coevolved with insects, establishing mutualistic symbiotic relationships, and depend upon them for spore dispersal. Sporulation occurs within a narrow range of special nutritional and environmental conditions, and involves signal transduction, gene activation and metabolic turnover. Sporulation and spore germination of some fungi are coordinated with light and temperature changes marking day and night cycles, the seasons or with life cycles of their hosts. Conditions required for germination reflect the particular biological adaptations and requirements of the fungus, and ensure that further somatic growth will be successful. Scientists should understand spore biology so that they may better control animal, plant and human diseases; to better utilise fungi for industrial purposes, or to utilise them more effectively in the laboratory.

Root exudates increase soil respiration and alter microbial community structure in alpine permafrost and active layer soils

“…Increased labile carbon inputs can trigger the activation of dormant microorganisms by alleviation of their carbon limitation (Blagodatskaya and Kuzyakov, 2013). Thus, the increase in fungal diversity in PF soils might be the result of reactivated dormant fungal spores in response to ARE and elevated soil temperature (Moore‐Landecker, 2011; Lulakova et al ., 2019) and/or of an increase in opportunistic fungal taxa with enhanced resource utilization in response to ARE. Metatranscriptomic profiling also revealed that fungal activities quickly increased after permafrost thaw (Coolen and Orsi, 2015).…”

Colonization process of olive tissues by Verticillium dahliae and its in planta interaction with the biocontrol root endophyte Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7

“…, 2003 ). Without excluding a negative influence of PICF7 on the metabolic activity of VDAT‐36I hyphae, we rather related the absence/presence of hyphae vacuoles to different metabolic stages of the pathogen or to hyphal aging ( Moore‐Landecker, 1996 ), regardless the presence or not of the BCA.…”

Pathways of Pathogenicity: Transcriptional Stages of Germination in the Fatal Fungal Pathogen Rhizopus delemar

“…Fungal spores are found ubiquitously within the environment and are key to the dispersal and survival of many fungal species ( 1 , 2 ). Spores can endure severe temperatures, desiccation, and high levels of radiation and radical exposure, conditions fatal to many other life-forms ( 3 ).…”