摘要
Auriculoscypha,a monotypic basidiomycetous genus with A.anacardiicola as the only known species,is endemic to southwest India where it is seen in triple symbioses with a coccid and anacardiaceous trees involving interactions between three trophic levels.The present study was an attempt to verify the hypothesis that dikaryotization is a prerequisite for hypha formation and coccid-infection in the life-cycle of A.anacardiicola.Light-microscopic observations using Giemsa staining and fluorescent microscopic observations of DAPI-stained material were made to determine the number of nuclei in cells/hyphal compartments at various stages in the life-cycle of the fungus.Our studies revealed that while the basidiospores were consistently unicellular and uninucleate at the time of discharge,the hyphae of A.anacardiicola were consistently dikaryotic.Coupled with the observed inability of a single basidiospore to establish a mycelium,our study indicates that dikaryotization is essential for hypha formation and infection of the coccid in the life-cycle of A.anacardiicola.
