A chlamydospore is the thick-walled large resting spore of several kinds of

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately fr ...

, 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 defi ...

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, Bas ...

such as '' Panus'', and various

Mortierellales Mortierellales is a fungal order, within the phylum of Zygomycota and the monotypic, division Mortierellomycota. It contains only 1 known family, Mortierellaceae , and 6 genera and around 129 species. Genera * ''Aquamortierella'' - 1 sp. * ' ...

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 (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrates. A typical single spore germinates in ...

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 angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, fer ...

in favorable conditions. Chlamydospores are usually dark-coloured,

spherical A sphere () is a geometrical object that is a three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three-dimensional space.. That given point is the ce ...

, and have a smooth (non-ornamented) surface. They are

multicellular A multicellular organism is an organism that consists of more than one cell, in contrast to unicellular organism. All species of animals, land plants and most fungi are multicellular, as are many algae, whereas a few organisms are partially ...

, with cells connected by pores in the

septae In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; plural septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate. Examples Human anatomy * Interatr ...

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 ...

(in which case they are

conidia A conidium ( ; ), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (), is an asexual, non- motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also called mitospores due to t ...

called chlamydoconidia) or sexual reproduction (rare). Teliospores 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 ''Candida albicans'' is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that is a common member of the human gut flora. It can also survive outside the human body. It is detected in the gastrointestinal tract and mouth in 40–60% of healthy adults. It is usu ...

References

External links

*The chlamydospores of ''

*Chlamydospore developmen

Germ cells Fungal morphology and anatomy Mycology {{mycology-stub

See also

References

External links