CHARACTERISTICS OF DEVELOPING ASCI OF NEUROSPORA CRASSA

Abstract

Morphology of the ascus and of the ascus cluster, as observed in carmine-stained, squash preparations of the contents of immature fruit bodies, is described with the aid of photomicrographs. Complications which raise questions regarding the applicability of the currently accepted scheme of ascus development are discussed. The function of the crozier, the mechanism of spore formation, and the correlation of nuclear behavior with ascus growth appear to have been misunderstood. It is concluded that the initial stages of ascus development involve complexities, the resolution of which may reveal unknown aspects of the nuclear cycle.