Pictorial supplement to The Fifth Kingdom - Chapter 11a

Fungal Ecology - part 1

(41 pictures)
The Fungal Succession on Herbivore Dung

Zygomycetes

11-1 Pilobolus1.jpg (6835 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Pilobolus

11-2 Pilobolus2.jpg (4776 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Pilobolus sporangiophores and sporangia.

11-3 Pilobolus3.jpg (2696 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Pilobolus - a single sporangium and its subsporangial vesicle. The yellow colour of the carotenoid retina is refracted in the vesicle.

11-4 Piptocephalis1.jpg (4840 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - branched sporangiophores of Piptocephalis.

11-5 Piptocephalis2.jpg (6850 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Piptocephalis heads, showing clustered fans of merosporangia.

11-6 Syncephalis1.jpg (6743 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - sporangiophores of Syncephalis (low power).

11-7 Syncephalis2.jpg (5339 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - one sporangiophore head of Syncephalis, showing radiating merosporangia (high power).

11-8 Circinella1.jpg (4696 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Circinella minor (1) - young recurved sporangia

11-9 Circinella2.jpg (5138 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Circinella minor (2) - sporangia expanding

11-10 Circinella3.jpg (5999 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Circinella minor (3) - mature columellate sporangia

11-11 Rhopalostylis.jpg (5054 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Rhopalomyces elegans - apical vesicle with unispored sporangia.

11-12 Cunninghamella1.jpg (3895 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Cunninghamella - apical vesicle and unispored sporangia. Ascomycetes

11-14 Ascobolus1.jpg (4635 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Ascobolus - numerous tiny apothecial ascomata

11-15 Ascobolus2.jpg (6937 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Ascobolus - several ascomata

11-16 Ascobolus3.jpg (7546 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Ascobolus - single ascoma. Note coloured ascospores and protruding ascal tips.

11-17 Ascobolus4.jpg (4924 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Ascobolus - protruding, phototropic ascal tips.

11-18 Saccobolus1.jpg (7990 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Saccobolus - a squash of an entire apothecial ascoma. The dark bodies are the adherent octets of ascospores (see below)

11-19 Saccobolus2.jpg (5031 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Saccobolus - some of the asci more highly magnified, showing that the 8 purple spores stick together and are discharged as a unit.

11-20 Thecotheus1.jpg (8441 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - many-spored asci of Thecotheus

11-21 Thecotheus2.jpg (5932 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - one ascus of Thecotheus. How many spores?
(clue - it must be a multiple of 8)

11-22 Podospora1.jpg (28908 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - black perithecial ascomata of Podospora - look closely and you will see several phototropic necks, pointing to the right.

11-23 Podospora2.jpg (7512 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Podospora - a perithecial ascoma, and a single ascospore with one primary (tubular) and two secondary (gelatinous) appendages. Hyphomycetes

11-25 Basifimbria1.jpg (6217 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Basifimbria - on the substrate (left) and under high power (right) - note the sympodial conidium development

11-27 Arthrobotrys1.jpg (6426 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - tall conidiophores of Arthrobotrys on natural substrate.

11-28 Arthrobotrys2.jpg (3939 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - clavate didymospores of Arthrobotrys developing in synchronous clusters.

11-29 Arthrobotrys3.jpg (5457 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - a hyphal network of Arthrobotrys which functions as a nematode trap.

11-30 Graphium1.jpg (4383 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Graphium synnematal conidiomata on the substrate, each with an apical drop of slimy spores (left), and one conidioma mounted on a slide (right). The vast numbers of spores obscure the structures that produce them (but see below)

11-32 Graphium3.jpg (4995 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - a synnematal conidioma of Graphium (left) and details of the percurrently extending conidiogenous cells under oil immersion and phase contrast (right).

11-34 Cephalotrichum1.jpg (6275 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - synnematal conidiomata of the dry-spored Cephalotrichum.

11-35 Cephalotrichum2.jpg (5076 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - a synnematal head of Cephalotrichum, with percurrently extending conidiogenous cells.

11-36 Trichurus.jpg (4687 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - Trichurus, another coprophilous synnematal hyphomycete with twisted, hair-like setae arising all over the fertile head. Basidiomycetes

11-37 Coprinus1.jpg (8900 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - primordia of Coprinus developing on horse dung.

11-38 Coprinus2.jpg (4550 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - close-up of the Coprinus primordia.

11-39 Coprinus3.jpg (3977 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - a stained and mounted primordium of Coprinus.

11-40 Coprinus4.jpg (7113 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - profuse fruiting of Coprinus on horse dung.

11-41 Coprinus5.jpg (5960 bytes)

Coprophilous fungi - delicate caps of Coprinus stuck to the glass lid of the incubation dish.