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PEZIZA- The Cup Fungus : Habitat and Reproduction

The document discusses the genus Peziza, a group of cup fungi with around 100 species, including Peziza vesiculosa, which is cosmopolitan. These fungi are saprophytes that thrive on decaying materials and reproduce both asexually and sexually, with sexual reproduction being the most common. The sexual fruiting body, or apothecium, is characterized by its distinct layers and serves as the primary structure for spore production.

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PEZIZA (The Cup Fungus) PEZIZA VESICULOSA PEZIZA AURANTIA PEZIZA BADIA PEZIZA PRATERVISA By PB Mallikharjuna PhD GFGC YB 19/06/2021
PEZIZA (Cup fungus)  Systemic Position / Classification: Kingdom : Mycota / Fungi Division : Eumycotina Sub-division : Ascomycotina Class : Ascomycetes Sub-class : Discomycetes Order : Pezizales Family : Pezizaceae
Introduction: It is a cup fungus genus and having about 100 species.  Some of these are Peziza vesiculosa, P. aurantia, P. succosa, P. badia, P. rependa, P. coccinea, P. catinum, P. tectoria, and so on.  Peziza vesiculosa is the cosmopolitan species.  All the species are strictly saprophytes, which grow on the dead and decaying substrates.
Habit and Habitat:  Peziza present in a wide range of habitats including the organic rich soils, manure heaps, dung, rotting wood or straw, burnt ground and sand dunes.  Coprophilous fungi: Some of the species will grow on the animal waste or dung called coprophilous fungi. Ex: Peziza badia.  Peziza is a mycelial fungus, which grow usually hidden in the substratum and thereby ramify with it.
 Peziza has distinctly two structural parts viz., the vegetative mycelium and the reproductive fructification apothecium.  Mycelium is hypogenous (subterranean), microscopic and present perennially in the substratum, while the apothecium is epigenous ( epiterranean), macroscopic, brilliantly coloured and short-lived fleshy structure.  The mycelium is microscopic, septate, monokaryotic, filamentous, with the profusely branched hyphae.  Its mode of nutrition is saprophytic, which absorbs the nutrients from the substratum by the activity of released extra-cellular enzymes.
Reproduction: Peziza has both types of reproduction viz., the asexual reproduction and the sexual reproduction. Asexual Reproduction: is less common in Peziza. However, it takes place by the formation of Conidiospores and Chlamydiospores.  The condiospores are produced as the spheroidal structures from the tip of conidiophores. On its germination produces a new individual emerges.  The chlamydiospores are 1 - many thick walled, intercalary resting spores. On its germination during favourable condition a new daughter mycelium emerges.
Sexual Reproduction: It is the most common type of reproduction. However, no sex organs are formed in Peziza and no sexual apparatus is found in Peziza vesiculosa.  Somatogamy is the common type of sexual reproduction, which occurs by the involvement of the two adjacent cells of different hyphae or the same hypha which are tangled in condition.  Further, the cell walls are fused between these cells and becomes a single cell called an Ascus mother cell, which is dikaryotic in nature. (2 nucleate)  The ascogenous mother cell will undergo profuse divisions and thereby resulting the Ascogenous hyphae formation.  These structures will grow further aerially and profusely multiplied and in turn resulting the asci. Meanwhile the pseudo-parenchymatous mycelial mat is surround them and there by producing the Ascocarp or Apothecium.
VS of the young Apothecium of Peziza Sexual reproduction
Apothecium:  It is the sexual fruiting body of the cup fungi including Peziza.  The apothecium is a large (2-5 cm in diameter) epigeon, brilliantly coloured (orange-red), fleshy, open cup or saucer-like structure. It is a short-lived structure.  The apothecia may be sessile or sub-sessile (Stiphe) structures, regular in form and large in size (from 2 cm to several inches).  A typical apothecium usually consists 3 distinct layers namely 1) The hymenium, 2) the sub-hymenium and 3) The peridium, from inner side to outer side. Apothecium of Peziza vesiculosa Apothecium of Peziza aurantia
A portion of the magnified view A portion of the fertile portion (hymenium) of apothecium under low power of compound microscope Operculum Ascospores Ascus
 Hymenium is the inner portion of the apothecium and it is the fertile region.  It has several vertically present unbranched tubular fertile filaments called Asci.  Each ascus is a long tubular, vacuolated structure with operculum at its top. It contains 8 - ascospores, which are obliquely arranged. The ascospores are uninucleate, ellipsoidal and haploid structures.  The asci filaments are traversed by the branched or unbranched, slightly pigmented sterile filaments called paraphyses. They play a dual role, a) protection to the adjacent fertile asci, and b) helps in the spore disposal due to hygroscopic nature.  The sub-hymenium and peridium are the sterile outer layer of the apothecium. These are developed due to the involvement of pseudo-parenchyma of the vegetative sterile hyphae.
Life cycle of Peziza