Ascomycete features
(parts of Chapter 7 and a few parts of Chapter 8 in Alexopoulos et. al 4th edition)
somatic structures
cell wall
cellulose(?), may be present in some
mannans, B 1-3 glucans, chitin, and probably chitoson
2-layered- inner thick, outer thin and present
stains positive (blue?) in DBB (DBB= diazonium blue B)
organelles
woronin bodies; produces septal pore organelles.
concentric bodies, only in lichens
hyphae:
with a septal pore; in some yeasts becomes almost closed forming a micropore which is similar in appearence to plasmodesmata
has pore plugs = septal pore organelles produced from Woronin bodies
reproductive structures
ascus
types: prototunicate vs. Eutunicate; types of eutunicate (has as exotunica and and endotunica), unitunicate (operculate, bilabiate, and inoperculate (see diagrams in the botany 359 web page) and bitunicate
ascus shape (see pg. 202, fig. 7-14)
amyloid reaction
ascocarp (=ascoma, ascomata (pl.)): cleistothecium, perithecium, apothecium, pseudothecium, loculate ascstromata; thryriothecium (a type of ascostromata), hysterothecium, mazaedium; stroma)
Ascospores
size, number/ascus, wall (outer membrane, ornamentation, outer matrix, inner fibrillar, inner membrane which corresponds to the plasma membrane)
formation (ascosporogenesis):
free cell formation
envelop membrane system (EMS): near but inside the plasma membrane; between the plasma membrance and the EMS in an ascus is the epiplasm; discontinuous; either surrounds all of nuclei or individual nuclei (in yeasts), consists of 2 closely spaced membranes; also called the ascus vesicle
Saccardo system of classifying spores: hyalo-; phaeo; amero-; didymo-; phragmo-; dictyo-; scoleco-; helico-; stauro-.(see pg. 219 Figure 8-2)
Hymenium (see handout; fig. 205, p. 425 of the Growing Fungus)
layer of asci and associate structures
associate structures (hamathecium)
interascal pseudoparenchyma, paraphyses, apical paraphyses, periphyses, pseudoparaphyses, and none.
Epithecium and hypothecium
position on the ascocarp (see handout)
the centrum