Life Cycle of the Chalk Brood Fungus, Ascosphaera aggregata, in the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee, Megachile rotundata, and Its Associated Symptomatology

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Abstract
The life cycle of A. aggregata in M. rotundata and the symptomatology of the resultant disease are described. The formation of the ascogonium, and the process by which the asci are formed within it, are unlike other Ascomycetes. Variable numbers of asci develop within a membrane-bound chamber, which is derived from the ascogenous hyphae within the nutriocyte. Following sporogenesis, the newly developed ascospores are retained within the membrane-bound chambers where they form tightly packed, spore-containing spheres, the spore balls.