Re: [compost_tea] fungal growth vs multiplication

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Sat, 15 May 2004 11:45:22 -0400
Hi Jeff -

Fungi grow from the tip cells.  They increase in biomass, the hypha grows out, the organism expands from the growing ends.

Reproduction implies a sexual interaction occurring, and most of the oomycetes, the ascomycetes and many of the basidiomycetes do not undergo sexual reproduction ever. 

Spore production does not require sexual reproduction.  Spores are just a process of the fungus budding off a hyphal extension, while putting a spore coat down to protect the hypha, and then shutting down metabolism until things are better. 

So, not reproduction.  But multiplication?   

Growth can be just simple multiplication of cells, or increase in biomass, or production of a new individual.

Like a person getting fatter (accumulating more carbon) and multipying fat cells, multiplcation of cells does not necessarily imply the production of a new individual. 

Hypha grow outward, the cells multiply, but that does not imply production of a new individual.  More biomass, yes, more cells, yes.  But new individual?  Not necessarily. 


Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
SFI Corvallis, OR
SFI Port Jefferson, NY
SFI Lismore, NSW, Australia
SFI Hilversum, The Netherlands
SFI Cambridge, New Zealand
SFI Culiacan, Mexico
SFI Jerome, Idaho
http://www.soilfoodweb.com

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Received on Sat May 15 2004 - 13:14:05 EDT

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