Ascospore Germination of Carbonicolous Ascomycetes in Fungistatic Soils: An Ecological Interpretation

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Abstract
Fungistasis is an important environmental regulator of fungal populations inhabiting soil, because it provides a mechanism of ensuring that spontaneous germination does not occur in the absence of substrate. Heat-activated ascospores of Podospora curvicolla, P. glutinans and Saccobolus globuliferellus would germinate in prairie soil exhibiting a general fungistasis, yet fungal sporocarps were not produced. Nonsusceptibility of heat-activated ascospores to soil-fungistatic factors is related to the ecology of these carbonicolous/coprophilous Ascomycetes. Fire not only serves to activate dormant ascospores, but probably also reverses soil inhibition. As a result, carbonicolous Ascomycetes require no additional defenses to prevent their germination in fungistatic soils.

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