Ornament (mycology)
In mycology, an ornament describes predominantly clearly defined sculptures that are superimposed on the spore wall (spore ornament). Their form and often also their chemistry (e.g. amyloidy ) can be relevant for the system . For example, the spore ornaments of all pigeon-like species can be dyed with iodine solutions, and those of many mug-like species with cotton blue. The names for spur ornaments in the literature are sometimes inconsistent. Dörfelt orients himself in his "Dictionary of Mycology" on the common terms in palynology (pollen analysis).
Ecological importance
According to (Halbwachs & Bässler 2015), ornamented spores are hydrophobic. This favors the spread of such spores by mist droplets, invertebrates and vertebrates. Ornamentation allows the spores to adhere better to substrates, such as soil particles and trunks, and also to the hair and fur of animals. This promotes the spread of such spores by animal vectors.
literature
- Heinrich Dörfelt , Gottfried Jetschke (Ed.): Dictionary of mycology. 2nd Edition. Spectrum Academic Publishing House, Heidelberg / Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-8274-0920-9 .
- Hans Halbwachs & Claus Bässler, Where love falls or How the ectomycorrhizal spore finds its roots. In: Zeitschrift für Mykologie 81/2, 2015. Published by the German Society for Mykology