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STUDIES OF THE BALLISTICS OF ASCOSPORES
Author(s) -
WALKEY D. G. A.,
HARVEY R.
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1966.tb05415.x
Subject(s) - spore , projectile , ballistics , internal ballistics , biology , physics , botany , quantum mechanics
S ummary The ballistics of horizontal spore discharge in fifteen species and two varieties of Ascomycetes have been studied. An apparatus for measuring horizontal discharge is described and formulae derived for the volumes of irregularly shaped spores. The average and maximum distances of discharge for the selected fungi are recorded and include maximum ranges of more than 50 cm for Podospora fimiseda and the 64‐spore variety of P. decipiens . An analysis of the relationship between the average distance of horizontal discharge and projectile size shows that the formula d = Kr 2 does not hold true for comparisons between a large number of unrelated species. If, however, only closely related species, such as those of the genera Podospora and Sordaria , are considered then considerable agreement with the formula is observed. If, in a single species, the relationship between size and distance of discharge of various sizes of spore‐projectiles is analysed, the results are in accordance with the formula d = Kr 2 only if there is relatively high separation of the full spore complement into projectiles of different sizes. It is suggested that deviation from the formula occurs because the initial velocity of discharge is not constant for all projectiles.