FIRST RECORD OF INTRACELLULAR SPORULATION BY A COELOMYCETE FUNGUS

Intracellular sporulation by a coelomycete, Phoma fimeti, in the root cells of the winter annual grass Vulpia ciliata spp. ambigua is report ed. It is proposed that conidia of P. fimeti may be passively distribu ted within the roots of the plant by the division of host cells. The f ungus was asymptomatic in the roots of the plant, as the only detectab le signs of colonization were increases in root and shoot biomass valu es, root lengths and tiller numbers. The potential ecological advantag es of intracellular sporulation for the fungus and the status of P. fi meti as a facultative endophyte are discussed.