Anatomy Anatomy of haustoria

anatomy haustoria {in foreign ectomycorrhizae} abundance

This item considers haustoria from the view point of a fungus which forms haustoria in a foreign ectomycorrhiza; the view point of the ectomycorrhiza concerns. The negative proof is very difficult, but most of the time ectomycorrhizae lack foreign haustoria. If it was possible to prove that haustoria found do not belong to the ectomycorrhiza former, they are regarded as being of foreign origin. This can be done by detection of different staining behaviour of haustoria and/or their subtending hyphae, by tracing hyphae from the haustoria to those which, with certainty, do not belong to the ectomycorrhiza former, or by the presence of basidiomycetous features within an ascomycetous ectomycorrhiza and vice versa. Some ectomycorrhizae can be associated consistently with hyphae and haustoria of foreign fungi. Frequently it is difficult to find that fungus which forms the haustoria. But sometimes, it is possible to find primordia or even young fruitbodies growing on rhizomorphs of a foreign ectomycorrhiza. In one case, by amyloidity reaction, a primordium of a Chroogomphus species growing on rhizomorphs of a Rhizopogon could be detected (A, B). The very same fungus formed amyloid hyphae in the rhizomorphs (C) and amyloid haustoria (D) within the ectomycorrhiza as well. 'Consistently' stands for the presence in several mycorrhizae, but per mycorrhiza they can occur in different densities. 'Occasionally' means that the occurrence is restricted to some cells of a few mycorrhizae.

1 occasionally present in a tip   2 consistently present in a tip

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