Movement of nutrients in fungi. I. The Mycelium

Abstract

Thirty-one species of fungi (representing 13 orders) were examined for their ability to grow from a nutrient medium onto a non-nutrient medium; 17 were capable of colonizing the deficient medium, 10 were not, and 4 were indeterminate. The ability to grow onto deficient medium appeared to be related to the natural habitat of the fungus rather than to taxonomic position.

Experiments with isotopically labelled nutrients showed that both colonizing fungi and non-colonizing fungi were capable of some transport of nutrients, the difference between the two groups being one of degree. In transporting fungi, labelled nutrients were moved more rapidly when the fungus colonized a deficient medium than when it colonized a nutrient medium; this suggested that movement of nutrients is adaptive to some extent.

The importance of the growing hyphal apex as a sink for nutrients was demonstrated.