Morphological Characterization and Quantification of the Mycelial Growth of the Brown-Rot Fungus Postia placenta for Modeling Purposes

PLoS One. 2016 Sep 7;11(9):e0162469. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162469. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Continuous observation was performed using confocal laser scanning microscopy to visualize the three-dimensional microscopic growth of the brown-rot fungus, Postia placenta, for seventeen days. The morphological characterization of Postia placenta was quantitatively determined, including the tip extension rate, branch angle and branching length, (hyphal length between two adjacent branch sites). A voxel method has been developed to measure the growth of the biomass. Additionally, the tip extension rate distribution, the branch angle distribution and the branching length distribution, which quantified the hyphal growth characteristics, were evaluated. Statistical analysis revealed that the extension rate of tips was randomly distributed in space. The branch angle distribution did not change with the development of the colony, however, the branching length distribution did vary with the development of the colony. The experimental data will be incorporated into a lattice-based model simulating the growth of Postia placenta.

MeSH terms

  • Biomass
  • Coriolaceae / growth & development*
  • Hyphae / growth & development*
  • Models, Biological
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by the LabeX LaSIPS (ANR-10-LABX-0040-LaSIPS), managed by the French National Research Agency (ANR - http://www.agence-nationale-recherche.fr/) under the "Investissements d’avenir" program (n°ANR-11-IDEX-0003-02). Grant holder was PP. This work was also financially supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.