
A chlamydospore is the thick-walled large
resting spore of several kinds of
fungi
A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...
, including
Ascomycota
Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The def ...
such as ''
Candida'',
Basidiomycota
Basidiomycota () is one of two large divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya (often referred to as the "higher fungi") within the kingdom Fungi. Members are known as basidiomycetes. More specifically, Basi ...
such as ''
Panus'',
and various
Mortierellales species.
It is the life-stage which survives in unfavourable conditions, such as dry or hot seasons. ''
Fusarium oxysporum'' which causes the plant disease
Fusarium wilt is one which forms chlamydospores in response to stresses like nutrient depletion.
Mycelia
Mycelium (: mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Its normal form is that of branched, slender, entangled, anastomosing, hyaline threads. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are fo ...
of the pathogen can survive in this manner and
germinate
Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an flowering plant, angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the sp ...
in favorable conditions.
Chlamydospores are usually dark-coloured,
spherical, and have a smooth (non-ornamented) surface. They are
multicellular
A multicellular organism is an organism that consists of more than one cell (biology), cell, unlike unicellular organisms. All species of animals, Embryophyte, land plants and most fungi are multicellular, as are many algae, whereas a few organism ...
, with cells connected by pores in the
septae between cells.
Chlamydospores are a result of
asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes or change in the number of chromosomes. The offspring that arise by asexual reproduction from either unicellular or multicellular organisms inherit the f ...
(in which case they are
conidia
A conidium ( ; : conidia), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (: chlamydoconidia), is an asexual, non- motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also ...
called chlamydoconidia) or sexual reproduction (rare).
Teliospore
Teliospore (sometimes called teleutospore) is the thick-walled resting spore of some fungi (Rust (fungus), rusts and Smut (fungus), smuts), from which the basidium arises.
Development
They develop in ''telium, telia'' (sing. ''telium'' or ''telio ...
s are special kind of chlamydospores formed by
rusts and
smuts.
File:Candida pseudohyphae, chlamydospores, blastospores.png, Pseudohyphae, chlamydospores and blastospores of ''Candida'' yeast.
Image:C albicans en.jpg, Chlamydospores of the yeast '' Candida albicans''
See also
*
Conidium
A conidium ( ; : conidia), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (: chlamydoconidia), is an Asexual reproduction, asexual, non-motility, motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word f ...
*
Resting spore
*
Zygospore
References
External links
*The chlamydospores of ''
Candida albicansChlamydospore Production and Germ-Tube Formation by Auxotrophs of Can…*Chlamydospore developmen
Allenpress.com
Germ cells
Fungal morphology and anatomy
Mycology
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