BIOL 2265

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF ASCOMYCETES

Ascomycetes

Belong to the phylum Ascomycota;

Produce sexual spores called ascospores within

asci (sing. ascus) which are sac-like structures;

Most species are mycelial, but some are also

yeasts;

Mycelial ascomycetes are normally septate with

septal pores and may have woronin bodies

A wide range of nutritional types

Saphrophytes, pathogens and symbionts

Ascomycetes are the most common

agent of mycosis in humans
Onychomycosis
(Trichophyton rubrum)
Tinea versicolor (lota)
(Yeast -Malassezia
globosa)

Aspergillosis (A.
fumigatus)

Ascomycetes are the most important

plant pathogens

Alternaria leaf spot

Sigatoka disease Mycosphaerella

Fusarium root
rot

Environmental importance of
ascomycetes

Lichens

Aspergillosis in seafan
coral

Asexual reproduction

Fission;
Budding;
Fragmentation (Arthrospores);
Soredia;
Conidia (most popular)

In deuteromycetes (imperfect fungi) the conidiophores

containing conidia may be fused together to form
specialized structures such as synnemata and
sporodochium);

Conidia may also be produced within pycninia (resemble

perithecium) and acervuli (resemble apothecium);

Budding yeast

Fission yeast

Arthrospores

Soredia of lichensalgal tissue protected

CONIDIA

Alternaria

Fusarium

Mycosphaerella

Sexual reproduction

Range of compatibility systems can be

found:

Heterothallic
Homothallic
Secondary homothallic;

Sexual reproduction

Plasmogamy may result from:

Interaction of morphological undifferentiated gametangia

Interaction of morphologically differentiated gametangia

antheridium (male) and ascogonium (female) with receptive

hyphae (trichogyne) e.g. Pyronema;

Spermitization

e.g. yeasts (see separate handout);

single detached cells become attached to female receptive organ

(trichogyne of receptive hyphae) and empty nuclei into receptive
cell;

Somatagamy fusion of somatic hyphae and nuclei migrate

to ascogonium through special perforations.

Sexual reproduction

Following plasmogamy in filamentous species

e.g. Pyronema

nuclear pairing and formation of dikaryotic

ascogenous hyphae take place

Crozier forms and develops into ascus

Ascospore (typically 8/ascus) are produced within

each ascus

Sexual
reproduction in
Pyronema sp.

Sexual reproduction
Asci may be produced
as naked asci
Within fruiting bodies

Apothecium
Perithecium
Cleistothecium

Cup-shaped
fruiting body
Apothecium of Ascobolus

Modified
apothecia of

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Perithecium

Cordyceps with stalk

containing perithecia

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Cleistothecium

Fused cleistothecia
of truffle

Sexual reproduction

In yeasts, compatible cells fuse and

entire structure is converted to an ascus
bearing four ascospores.