Somatic deficiency causes reproductive parasitism in a fungus

Alexey A. Grum-Grzhimaylo, Eric Bastiaans, Joost Heuvel, Cristina Berenguer Millanes, Alfons J. M. Debets and Duur K. Aanen ()
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Alexey A. Grum-Grzhimaylo: Wageningen University
Eric Bastiaans: Wageningen University
Joost Heuvel: Wageningen University
Cristina Berenguer Millanes: Wageningen University
Alfons J. M. Debets: Wageningen University
Duur K. Aanen: Wageningen University

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Some multicellular organisms can fuse because mergers potentially provide mutual benefits. However, experimental evolution in the fungus Neurospora crassa has demonstrated that free fusion of mycelia favours cheater lineages, but the mechanism and evolutionary dynamics of this exploitation are unknown. Here we show, paradoxically, that all convergently evolved cheater lineages have similar fusion deficiencies. These mutants are unable to initiate fusion but retain access to wild-type mycelia that fuse with them. This asymmetry reduces cheater-mutant contributions to somatic substrate-bound hyphal networks, but increases representation of their nuclei in the aerial reproductive hyphae. Cheaters only benefit when relatively rare and likely impose genetic load reminiscent of germline senescence. We show that the consequences of somatic fusion can be unequally distributed among fusion partners, with the passive non-fusing partner profiting more. We discuss how our findings may relate to the extensive variation in fusion frequency of fungi found in nature.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-21050-5

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21050-5

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