News from IAB

The mission of the International Association of Bryologists (IAB), as a society, is to strengthen bryology by encouraging interactions among all persons interested in byophytes.

Monday, August 11, 2008

moss culture

Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 21:10:37 -0400
To: bryonet-l@mtu.edu
From: Jon Shaw <shaw@acpub.duke.edu>
Subject: Re: moss culture

I have consistently found that spores of Funaria hygrometrica and Ceratodon
purpureus germinate best and produce maximum protonemal growth when
agar-solidified medium is somewhat contaminated with fungal hyphae. Too
much fungus overgrows the spores, but a minor amount of hyphae appear to
stimulate growth. The strangest case is Mielichhoferia elongata. Spore
germination is entirely unpredicatable. Sometimes a high percentage of the
spores from a capsule germinate and at other times, none. On many occasions,
we have tried three replicates from the same capsule on different petri
dishes and spores will germinate, at high frequency, in one of the three
dishes! My hypothesis, as yet untested, is that very subtle interactions
with contaminating microorganisms make the difference.

Jon Shaw
Jonathan Shaw
Associate Professor & Curator of Bryophytes
Department of Botany, Duke University
Durham, NC 27708
Fax: 919 660-7293
Phone: 919 660-7344

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