STIMULATION OF GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION OF SPHAERONAEMELLA-FIMICOLA BYOTHER COPROPHILOUS FUNGI

An in vitro screen of 83 isolates of coprophilous fungi revealed that many of them were capable of stimulating growth of Sphaeronaemella fim icola at a distance. When in direct contact with S. fimicola, many (ex cluding the Zygomycotina) also stimulated the production of perithecia . Species of Coniochaeta, Ryparobius, Thelebolus and Trichobolus were the strongest inducers. These and related genera were also associated with perithecia of S. fimicola on dung collected from the field. Hypha e of many of the strong perithecium inducers and a few non-inducing sp ecies were parasitized by necrotrophic intrahyphal growth of S. fimico la. Perithecium formation was stimulated even when parasitism was prev ented by separation of growing mycelia of Ryparobius pachyascus and S. fimicola by Cellophane. In contrast, prior growth and removal of R. p achyascus followed by inoculation with S. fimicola caused enhanced gro wth and asexual reproduction without concomitant perithecium formation .