Ascospore discharge, germination and culture of fungal partners of tropical lichens, including the use of a novel culture technique
A total of 292 lichen samples, representing over 200 species and at least 65 genera and 26 families, were collected, mainly in Thailand; 170 of the specimens discharged ascospores in the laboratory. Generally, crustose lichens exhibited the highest discharge rates and percentage germination. In con...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2011-12-01
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| Series: | IMA Fungus |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ima/imafung/2011/00000002/00000002/art00012 |
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| Summary: | A total of 292 lichen samples, representing over 200 species and at least 65 genera and 26 families, were collected, mainly in Thailand; 170 of the specimens discharged ascospores in the laboratory. Generally, crustose lichens exhibited the highest discharge rates and percentage germination. In contrast, foliose lichen samples, although having a high discharge rate, had a lower percentage germination than crustose species tested. A correlation with season was indicated for a number of species. Continued development of germinated ascospores into recognizable colonies in pure culture was followed for a selection of species. The most successful medium tried was 2 % Malt-Yeast extract agar (MYA), and under static conditions using a liquid culture medium, a sponge proved to be the best of several physical carriers tested; this novel method has considerable potential for experimental work with lichen mycobionts. |
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| ISSN: | 2210-6340 2210-6359 |