Longevity of light- and dark-colored basidiospores from saprotrophic mushroom-forming fungi

ABSTRACT

Fungi can produce resistant propagules that may last for decades. Basidiospores from ectomycorrhizal fungi had been experimentally shown to last for at least 6 yr, but there are few reports on the longevity of saprotrophic members of mushroom-forming fungi. Here, the author shows evidence of spore longevity of these fungi by collecting, drying, storing, and germinating these spores over time. Results showed that dark-colored spores have a much-extended longevity as compared to light-colored spores. Dark-colored spores of some species are viable to at least 2.8 yr, whereas light-colored spores are generally viable for a much shorter period of time. The author proposes that mushroom-forming basidiomycete fungi employ two different ecological strategies: one with extended longevity that allows for long-distance dispersal, and the other takes advantage of optimal conditions that support both mushroom formation, basidiospore dispersal, and germination locally.

KEYWORDS:

• Dispersal
• dormancy
• longevity
• melanin
• mushroom
• saprotrophs
• spore
• viability

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank Meredith Blackwell for turning me into a mycologist. My undergraduate research career was just as a spore written in this paper, germinating into a bewildering world of research. Without Meredith’s firm support and keen direction to tune my multidirectional interest in many things biological, I fear that I would currently be pressing plants or pinning insects in an isolated corner of a natural history museum. I am grateful to have the chance at a longevity devoted to studying fungi. I thank Else Vellinga for assistance with identification of some species of mushrooms, undergraduate Jonathan Abe for measuring spore absorbance, as well as the two anonymous reviewers who provided great advice for improving the manuscript.

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Funding

This work was supported in part by the NSF-GRFP to N.H.N.