Sexual reproduction of yellow ecotype of Neurospora intermedia in nature

Abstract

The vegetative stage of yellow ecotype of Neurospora intermedia occurs on various substrates but there has been no evidence of its telomorphic stage in nature. This paper presents evidence for the sexual reproduction of this ecotype in nature on maize cobs.

Neurospora from Natural Populations: Population Genomics Insights into the Life History of a Model Microbial Eukaryote

“…Extensive observations of Neurospora colonies at burn sites led to only a few observations of fruiting bodies in nature, possibly owing to the difficulty in the recognition of black perithecia on/within burned substrate, or the delay of sexual reproduction after conidial blooms [18]. Perithecia were observed on maize cobs [47], under the bark of fire-injured trees [2,48], or protruding through cracked tissues of scorched sugar cane [49]. However, it remains unknown whether sexual cycles in Neurospora are synchronized with wildfires.…”

Neurospora perithecia: The first sighting

“…However, Neurospora perithecia were not observed again outside the laboratory until seven decades later, when Pandit and Maheshwari (1996) succeeded in finding perithecia in epidermal tissue of sugar cane stubble. Perithecia were also found on discarded corncobs (Pandit et al 2000). Finally, Donald Natvig and David Jacobson (personal communication) have once again found perithecia under the bark of a fire-damaged tree, this time in New Mexico (Jacobson et al 2001).. Failure to observe perithecia in nature is perhaps not surprising.…”