Spore-to-spore agar culture of the myxomycete Physarum globuliferum

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ORIGINAL PAPER

Spore-to-spore agar culture of the myxomycete Physarum globuliferum Pu Liu · Qi Wang · Yu Li

Received: 10 July 2009 / Revised: 11 November 2009 / Accepted: 2 December 2009 / Published online: 19 December 2009 © Springer-Verlag 2009

Abstract The ontogeny of the myxomycete Physarum globuliferum was observed on corn meal agar and hanging drop cultures without adding sterile oat Xakes, bacteria or other microorganisms. Its complete life cycle including spore germination, myxamoebae, swarm cells, plasmodial development, and maturity of fructiWcations was demonstrated. Details of spore-to-spore development are described and illustrated. Keywords Agar culture · Hanging drop culture · Plasmodial slime molds

Introduction Myxomycetes are an unusual group that share features with both fungi and animals (Martin and Alexopoulos 1969; Ashworth and Jennifer 1975; Keller and Braun 1999). They are ideal tools for experimental studies of the mitotic cycle, morphogenesis, the chemical changes that govern reproduction, and structural physiology (Alexopoulos et al. 1996). The plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum was used in most cases for study on the role of actin myosin in

Communicated by Erko Stackebrandt. P. Liu · Q. Wang (&) · Y. Li Engineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, 130118 Changchun, People’s Republic of China e-mail: [email protected] P. Liu e-mail: [email protected]

protoplasmic streaming and also events of life cycle (Shimada et al. 1997; Jampens et al. 1999; Karl et al. 2004; He et al. 2008). Experiments using the myxomycete plasmodium have contributed to a better understanding of many basic biological phenomenons including the structural and functional diVerences among plasmodium types. The type of plasmodium, in this case the phaneroplasmodium, is associated with the order Physarales. Currently, 888 species of myxomycetes have been described in the world (Kirk et al. 2008). However, complete life cycle has been only known in limited species though it is very important to determine taxonomic position of species. Therefore, sporeto-spore culture on agar under controlled conditions may help solve taxonomic problems. The Wrst spore-to-spore cultures of myxomycete Badhamia utricularis (Bull.) Berk and Didymium diVorme (Pers.) S. F. Gray were reported by Lister (1901). Until 1979, spore-to-spore culture of about 74 myxomycete species had been reported with brief description of cultural conditions, sporophore morphology, and plasmodial color (Collins 1979). In 1995, Clark reviewed that approximately 98 species have been induced to complete their life cycle in culture (Hu and Clark 1986; Clark 1995). At present, 102 species of myxomycetes have been reported to be grown from spore to spore in culture (Ishibashi et al. 2001; Mosquera et al. 2003; Lado et al. 2007; Wrigley de Basanta et al. 2008). This is less than one-eighth of the total number of myxomycetes in the world. Additionally, axenic cultures of the plasmodial an