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Homothallic refers to the possession, within a single organism, of the resources to reproduce sexually; [1] i.e., having male and female reproductive structures on the same thallus. The opposite sexual functions are performed by different cells of a single mycelium. [2] It can be contrasted to heterothallic. It is often used to categorize fungi.
Mating in fungi is a complex process governed by mating types. Research on fungal mating has focused on several model species with different behaviour. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Not all fungi reproduce sexually and many that do are isogamous ; thus, for many members of the fungal kingdom, the terms "male" and "female" do not apply.
These fungi are said to be homothallic, versus the normal heterothallic species with mating types. Others are secondarily homothallic, in that two compatible nuclei following meiosis migrate into each basidiospore, which is then dispersed as a pre-existing dikaryon. Often such species form only two spores per basidium, but that too varies.
Some species are homothallic. The original report of sex in fungi, occurred two centuries ago, based on observations of the fungus Syzygites megalocarpus (Mucoromycotina) (reviewed by Idnurm [1]). This species, was subsequently used in 1904, to represent self-fertile species when the concept of two major mating strategies were developed for the ...
A zygospore is a diploid reproductive stage in the life cycle of many fungi and protists.Zygospores are created by the nuclear fusion of haploid cells. In fungi, zygospores are formed in zygosporangia after the fusion of specialized budding structures, from mycelia of the same (in homothallic fungi) or different mating types (in heterothallic fungi), and may be chlamydospores. [1]
The term is applied particularly to distinguish heterothallic fungi, which require two compatible partners to produce sexual spores, from homothallic ones, which are capable of sexual reproduction from a single organism. In heterothallic fungi, two different individuals contribute nuclei to form a zygote.
A. nidulans is a homothallic fungus, meaning it is able to self-fertilize and form fruiting bodies in the absence of a mating partner. It has septate hyphae with a woolly colony texture and white mycelia.
Examples of homothallic fungi that undergo selfing include species with an aspergillus-like asexual stage (anamorphs) occurring in many different genera, [15] several species of the ascomycete genus Cochliobolus, [16] and the ascomycete Pneumocystis jirovecii [17] (for other examples, see Homothallism). A review of evidence on the evolution of ...