Geosiphon

''Geosiphon'' is a genus of fungus in the family Geosiphonaceae. The genus is monotypic, containing the single species ''Geosiphon pyriformis'', first described by Kützing in 1849 as ''Botrydium pyriforme''. In 1915, Von Wettstein characterized ''Geosiphon pyriforme'' as a multinucleate alga containing endosymbiotic cyanobacteria, although he also noted the presence of chitin, a component of fungal cell walls. In 1933, Knapp was the first to suggest the fungal origin of the species and described it as a lichen with endosymbiotic cyanobacteria. It is the only member of the Glomeromycota known to not form a symbiosis with terrestrial plants in the form of arbuscular mycorrhiza.

Life cycle

''Geosiphon pyriformis'' is known for being the symbiont of ''Nostoc''. The ''Geosiphon''-''Nostoc'' symbiosis, as by modern definitions, is not a lichen, since it is an intracellular association. Also, by functional and evolutionary implications it is more comparable to the arbuscular mycorrhiza symbioses than to lichens.

The ''Geosiphon''-''Nostoc'' symbiosis is the only known fungal endosymbiosis with cyanobacteria and is characterised by a "siphonal bladder" that is made of a swollen fungal hypha, 0.5–2 mm in size and growing on the soil surface. The upper 2/3 of the "bladder" contains the ''Nostoc'' filaments and Nostoc heterocysts, the lower 1/3 is filled with lipid droplets.

Reproduction

The fungal spores are 250 micrometres in diameter, formed at the end of one hypha, or intercalarly (within a hyphae) and resemble those of other members of the Glomeromycota, with a particular resemblance to spores of others in the polyphyletic genus Glomus.

Somatic structure

''Geosiphon'' has a specialised bladder used to harbour cyanobacteria, usually '' Nostoc punctiforme'', although other ''Nostoc'' species are known to be incorporated by the fungus. ''Geosiphon'' bladders are photosynthetically active, and are also capable of fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere. The walls of the bladder have a small pore radius (approximately 0.5  nm), which make it act as an osmotic barrier. This limits the free exchange of nutrients (like sugars) with the environment and increases the need to derive these carbon sources from internal sources. It has been suggested that the organization of the symbiotic interface between the fungus and ''Nostoc'' in ''G. pyriforme'' is homologous to the symbiotic interface between plant and fungus in arbuscular mycorrhiza in terms of thickness, chitin content, and ultrastructure of layers.Schuessler A, Bonfante P, Schnepf E, Mollenhauer D, Kluge, M. (1996). Characterization of the ''Geosiphon pyriforme'' symbiosome by affinity techniques: Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and electron microscopy. ''Protoplasma'' 190(1–2): 53–67. ''G. pyriformis'' however, is not known to form arbuscular mycorrhiza.

The bladder structure may be considered to be equivalent to a symbiosome, a specialized membraned structure in some plants and animals that forms a structural and functional interface between the host and its symbiont counterpart. The symbiosome may be divided into three functional areas:
*the symbiosome membrane forms the border of the symbiosome. It is thought to be formed from the plasma membrane of the fungus by invagination during the uptake of the symbiont.Schnepf E. (1964). Zur Feinstruktur von ''Geosiphon pyriforme''. ''Arch Micobiol''. 49: 112–31.
*the symbiosome space, located between the symbiosome membrane and the endosymbiotic ''Nostoc'' cyanobacteria.
*the area containing the cyanobacteria.

The space between the symbiosome membrane and the ''Nostoc'' cell wall contains a 30–40 nm thick layer of carbohydrate material such as mannose, fucose, GalNAc, sialic acid, and galactose.

References

External links

The ''Geosiphon pyriformis'' symbiosis - fungus 'eats' cyanobacterium
Schuessler lab

Glomeromycota phylogeny

{{Taxonbar, from=Q144388, from2=Q18523806, from3=Q10504225

Glomeromycota
Monotypic fungi genera
Taxa named by Friedrich Traugott Kützing