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← Dye Lichens
Appendage Morphology →

How many spores?

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Oliver Ellingham

After establishing itself on a host a powdery mildew can begin to reproduce. Asexual conidia (spores) are produced as 3-D protrusions, on structures called conidiophores, from the predominantly 2-D mycelial network on the surface of a host.

In this aspect of morphology/biology powdery mildews are separated into two distinct groups: those producing a single conidia per conidiophore per day (pseudoidium-type); and those producing many (euoidium-type) (fig. 1).

Figure 1: Conidiogenesis types. Pseudoidium-types, comprised of the tribes Erysipheae and Phyllactineae, produce false chains with just a single conidium at its apex which is released daily. Euoidium-types, comprised of the remaining three tribes (Blumerieae, Cystotheceae and Golovinomyceteae), produce many conidia per day in true chains.

Figure 1: Conidiogenesis types. Pseudoidium-types, comprised of the tribes Erysipheae and Phyllactineae, produce false chains with just a single conidium at its apex which is released daily. Euoidium-types, comprised of the remaining three tribes (Blumerieae, Cystotheceae and Golovinomyceteae), produce many conidia per day in true chains. (From Takamatsu, 2013)

Fungi are known for their highly virile nature: producing thousands of spores per minute. with a typically low investment per spore resulting in a similarly low number of these finding a suitable environment to extend its life.

The seemingly more complex multiple spore producing euodium-type has been shown to be the ancestral form from which the pseudoidium-type arose on at least two separate occasions (Mori et al., 2000) (fig. 2).

Figure 2: Molecular phylogenetic tree of the powdery mildews inferred from the combined data set of the 18S, 28S and 5.8S rDNA sequences. White and black branches indicate species of Euoidium-type and Pseudoidium-type, respectively (from Takamatsu, 2013)

Figure 2: Molecular phylogenetic tree of the powdery mildews inferred from the combined data set of the 18S, 28S and 5.8S rDNA sequences. White and black branches indicate species of Euoidium-type and Pseudoidium-type, respectively. (From Takamatsu, 2013).

This pathway to a more simple method of spore release shows a devolution of a morphological character. Such a move towards simplicity is also seen in the appendages sexual spores use to latch onto host structures…

References:

Mori Y, Sato Y, Takamatsu S (2000) Evolutionary analysis of the powdery mildew fungi using nucleotide sequences of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. Mycologia 92:74–93

Takamatsu, S (2013). Molecular phylogeny reveals phenotypic evolution of powdery mildews (Erysiphales, Ascomycota). Journal of General Plant Pathology: 1-9.

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About Oliver Ellingham

PhD student at the University of Reading. Working on ID techniques of powdery mildew Fungi. Interested in mycology, plant pathology and arboriculture.
View all posts by Oliver Ellingham →
This entry was posted in PhD research, Public Engagement with Science, RHS research and tagged Ascomycota, Conidiogenesis, Erysiphales, Fungal identification, Fungi, morphology, Oliver Ellingham, Pathology, Phylogeny, Plant Pathology, RHS, Royal Horticultural Society, taxonomy. Bookmark the permalink.
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Last reply was December 17, 2015
  1. Appendage Morphology | Culham Research Group
    View January 21, 2014

    […] ectoparasitic, single conidia producing tribe Erysipheae are a good indication of the diversity of forms within a single tribe: appendages […]

    Reply
  2. Sexual Fungi | Culham Research Group
    View January 28, 2014

    […] asexual reproduction (via conidiogenesis) can occur multiple times per year, aiding proliferation throughout a summer, it is often sexual […]

    Reply
  3. Where it all began… | Culham Research Group
    View January 30, 2014

    […] asci, with many uncinate-circinate apiced appendages. The asexual stage (anamorph) produced conidia in chains (Euoidium-type) and […]

    Reply
  4. Powdery mildew morphological glossary | Culham Research Group
    View December 17, 2015

    […] of conidiogenesis  (Fig. 1): the ‘false-spore’ (Pseudoidium-)type is characterised by the production of […]

    Reply
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