Fruiting bodies of Ascomycota

It is a good presentation for Bachelor classes.

1. Fruiting Bodies of Ascomycota Muhammad Zeeshan Nazar M.Phil Agriculture Entomology [email protected]

2. FRUITING BODY: Fruiting body is a multicellular structure in which spores are produced. In fungi , the sporocarp (also known as fruiting body or fruit body ) is a multicellular structure on which spore producing structures, such as asci , are borne. The fruiting body of an ascomycete is known as ascocarp. In Ascomycota the asci are found protected inside the fruit body known as ascocarp.

3. The main body of fungus is made up of fine thread like structures these thread like structures are known as hyphae that group together to form mycelium. In response to sexual act, the neighboring vegetative hyphae and those growing from the sex organs grow rapidly to become interwoven into a plectenchymatous mass. This mass surrounds the developing asci. The whole structure i.e. the asci and the mass of protective vegetative hyphae develops into an ascocarp. Formation of fungus fruit body:

4. The fruiting body is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cycle , with the rest of the life cycle being characterized by vegetative mycelial growth and asexual spore production. Fruit bodies are just like the fruit of fungus as apples are the fruits of apple tree. Spores produced inside the fruiting body are just like the seeds. Cont…

5. Fruiting bodies are termed as epigeous if they grow on the ground. which grow underground are hypogenous fruiting bodies. Some fungi produce club shaped some produce ball shaped some produce brackets and some produce star shaped fruiting body. Fruits bodies are also produced in different colors. Epiganous and hypogynous fruiting bodies

6. Spores are the reproductive unit of fungi, analogous to plant seeds. Spores are often the dusty, colored part of a fungus that is easily moved in the wind or in water. Fruiting bodies are fungal structures that contain spores. These basically protect the seed Spores are microscopic Spores are released from fungus body by air wind and rain when spore falls on suitable surface it germinates Function of fruiting Bodies

7. Sexual Fruiting Bodies of Ascomycota

8. A cleistothecium is a globose, completely closed fruit body with no special opening to the outside. The asci found inside the ascocarp are found usually scattered i.e. irregular as in Eurotium or arising in tufts from the basal region of ascocarp as in Erysiphe . The asci are usually globose, broadly oval or pear shaped and are nearly sessile i.e. without a distinct stipe. Most clistothecia contain asci that are incapable of shooting their ascospores , known as non-ballistic asci , tightly enclose their ascospores and are club shaped to spherical. Cleistothecium

9. At maturity their walls dissolve, releasing the spores into the cavity of cleistothecium. e.g. Specie of Aphanoascus . Cont… Gymnoascus Eurotium (Imperfect state Aspergillus ) Talaromyces (imperfect state penicillium ) Examples: Erysiphe

10. Perithecium This is flask shaped structure opening by a pore known as ostiole. The pore may be lined with hair like structures known as periphyses. There is well defined wall. Asci are released through a pore. These asci are generally unitunicate (uni=one Tunica= layer).

11. Cont… In Sordaria humana specie the asci are produced at the base of perithecium and are oriented upward toward ostiole . In others perithecium is larger and the asci line in the bottom and the sides of inner walls.

12. Apothecium are cup or dish shaped structures bearing a layer of asci. At maturity the asci become broadly exposed to the environment and are able to discharge their ascospores directly into the air. Some apothecia can be a centimeter or more in diameter and have the ability to shoot their spores at a considerable distance. Apothecium

13. In some species a small burst of air such as blowing gently to will cause a visible smoke of ascospores to be released. Unitunicate-operculate asci are found in this fruiting body. Unitunicate asci have a single wall and have a built in lid that opens at maturity. Cont…

14. An ascocarp resembling a perithecium but whose asci are not regularly organised into a hymenium and are bitunicate , having a double wall which expands when it takes up water and shoots the enclosed spores out suddenly to disperse them. Pseudothecium

15. It resembles to perithecium but its asci are not arranged into hymenium and are bitunicate means they have a double layer. Its wall expands when it takes up water and shoots the enclosed spores out suddenly to disperse them. Cont…

16. Asexual Fruiting Bodies of Ascomycota

17. An acervulus is a small asexual fruiting body that erepts through the epidermis of host plants parasitized by mitosporeric fungi. It has the form of small cushion at the bottom of which short crowded conidophores are formed. The spores are escaped through an opening at the top. Acervulus

18. In this masses of conidia are formed under the skin of host plant and then erupt through the surface and allows the spores to be distributed by wind and rain. Under this roof of host material, fungal hyphae aggregate and form a flat fertile layer of short conidiophores that produce many conidia. The pressure of accumulating conidia, and often of accessory mucilage, eventually splits the host epidermis and allows the conidia to escape. Cont…

19. It is a flask shaped fruiting body bearing conidiophores and conidia on the interior and it occurs in various imperfect fungi of ascomycetes.It is spherical or inversely pear shaped and its internal cavity is lined with conidiophores. When ripe an opening generally appears at the top through which the pycinidiospores escape. Pycnidium

20. A sporodocium is a small compact stroma(mass of hyphae) usually formed on host plant parasitized by mitosporic fungi. This stroma bears the conidiophores on which the asexual spores or conidia are formed.   Sporodocium

21. A synnema (plural synnemata , derivation: "Threads together") is a large, erect reproductive structure borne by some fungi , bearing compact conidiophores which fuse together to form a strand resembling a stalk of wheat, with conidia at the end or on the edges. Synnemata :

22. The genus Graphium is characterized by the formation of synnemata which consist of a more or less compact group of erect conidiophores that are cemented together, usually splaying out and bearing conidia at the apex. Synnemata are darkly pigmented, erect and occur solitary or in clusters. Cont…