The Fastest Flights in Nature: High-Speed Spore Discharge Mechanisms among Fungi

Abstract

BackgroundA variety of spore discharge processes have evolved among the fungi. Those with the longest ranges are powered by hydrostatic pressure and include “squirt guns” that are most common in the Ascomycota and Zygomycota. In these fungi, fluid-filled stalks that support single spores or spore-filled sporangia, or cells called asci that contain multiple spores, are pressurized by osmosis. Because spores are discharged at such high speeds, most of the information on launch processes from previous studies has been inferred from mathematical models and is subject to a number of errors.Methodology/Principal FindingsIn this study, we have used ultra-high-speed video cameras running at maximum frame rates of 250,000 fps to analyze the entire launch process in four species of fungi that grow on the dung of herbivores. For the first time we have direct measurements of launch speeds and empirical estimates of acceleration in these fungi. Launch speeds ranged from 2 to 25 m s−1 and corresponding accelerations of 20,000 to 180,000 g propelled spores over distances of up to 2.5 meters. In addition, quantitative spectroscopic methods were used to identify the organic and inorganic osmolytes responsible for generating the turgor pressures that drive spore discharge.Conclusions/SignificanceThe new video data allowed us to test different models for the effect of viscous drag and identify errors in the previous approaches to modeling spore motion. The spectroscopic data show that high speed spore discharge mechanisms in fungi are powered by the same levels of turgor pressure that are characteristic of fungal hyphae and do not require any special mechanisms of osmolyte accumulation.

High-resolution palynology reveals the land use history of a Sami renvall in northern Sweden

“…Taphonomic studies demonstrate that coprophilous fungal spores do not travel far from their source (Raper and Bush 2009), with dispersal often limited to B2.5 m from the fruiting body (Ingold 1971;Yafetto et al 2008). Spores released from fungi growing on dung within the renvall (AKK D) might not arrive at AKK C, 15 m from the annex boundary.…”

Human Fungal Pathogens of Mucorales and Entomophthorales

“…Based on this fact, some have hypothesized that some species could affect insects or perhaps that insects only act as host carriers of Basidiobolus species, especially mites (Ingold 1934;Werner et al 2012). The mechanism of conidium ejection is different from that of Conidiobolus (Ingold 1934; Yafetto et al 2008). In Basidiobolus spp.…”

“…3Ac) (Dykstra 1994). The structure remains attached to the ejected conidium during the expulsion, but could be detached after landing (Ingold 1934;Yafetto et al 2008). Ingold found that the distance that Basidiobolus conidia traveled was between 1 and 2 cm (Ingold 1934).…”

Popcorn: critical temperature, jump and sound

“…Recently, many biological material fractures have been highlighted: these fractures allow plants and fungi to disperse their seeds and spores, respectively [11][12][13][14][15], or corals to colonize new territories by their own fragmentation [16,17]. Mammals do usually not need fracture for moving: they can use instead their legs as springs and form a single projectile with their whole body [18].…”