Sexual Crosses with the Mucoromycete <em>Phycomyces blakesleeanus</em>

Phycomyces blakesleeanus, a filamentous fungus within the Mucoromycota phylum, is distinguished by its remarkable capacity for environmental perception and adaptive responses. While past work has shown that environmental stimuli, including gravity, light, moisture, and nutrient availability, influence its growth dynamics and reproductive strategies, the underlying mechanisms remain a focal area of research. Environmental cues trigger sexual or asexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction begins with pheromone signaling, which triggers hyphal chemoattraction, eventually leading to serial morphological transitions culminating in the formation of a zygospore. In a laboratory setting, crosses of P. blakesleeanus result in complementary mycelia undergoing the sexual cycle at different stages. Our work aims to test if environmental cues can trigger mating across the mycelia of P. blakesleeanus. Crosses of P. blakesleeanus grown on nutrient-limited media will be subjected to nutrient-limited agar to trigger a sexual response in accordance with nutrient deprivation. Successful triggering of mating in P. blakesleeanus will facilitate future studies that require a large amount of sexually reproducing mycelia in specific stages. The outcome of this research will further enhance our understanding of how P. blakesleeanus reproductive mechanisms are influenced by environmental factors, contributing to the broader knowledge base on the sexual reproduction of filamentous fungi.