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Updated: Aug 1, 2026
08:20
Sexual Development and Ascospore Discharge in Fusarium graminearum
Published on: March 29, 2012
Development of higher fungi under weightlessness
T B Kasatkina1, G G Zharikova, A B Rubin
1Moscow State University, USSR.
Life Sciences and Space Research
|January 1, 1980
Summary
Spaceflight affects fungus development. Polyporus brumalis (basidomycete) fruiting bodies in light showed normal growth, while those in the dark developed abnormally or not at all.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Space Biology
- Plant Science
Background:
- Fungal development is sensitive to environmental cues.
- Understanding plant and fungi growth in microgravity is crucial for space exploration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of weightlessness on the development of Polyporus brumalis basidomycete cultures.
- To compare fungal growth in light versus dark conditions under microgravity.
Main Methods:
- Experiments conducted on orbital stations Salyut 5 and Salyut 6.
- Cultures exposed to weightlessness at different developmental stages (fruiting body primordium and mycelium growth).
- Light-optical and electron-microscopic analyses performed.
Main Results:
- Fruiting bodies formed in light exhibited normal morphology and light-oriented growth.
- Fruiting bodies in the dark developed twisted stems and lacked caps.
- No fruiting bodies formed in the dark during the second experiment.
Conclusions:
- Weightlessness impacts Polyporus brumalis development, with light being a critical factor.
- Light influences the morphogenesis and orientation of fungal fruiting bodies in space.
- Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of microgravity effects on fungi.
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