Bornet[190] followed with his record of successful cultures. He selected
for experiment the spores of _Physcia_ (_Xanthoria_) _parietina_ and was
able to show that hyphae produced from the germinating spore adhered
to the free-growing cells of _Protococcus[191] viridis_ and formed
the early stages of a lichen thallus. Woronin[192] contributed his
observations on the gonidia of _Parmelia_ (_Physcia_) _pulverulenta_
which he isolated from the thallus and cultivated in pure water. He
confirmed the occurrence of cell division in the gonidia and also the
formation of zoospores, these again forming new colonies of algae
identical in all respects with the thalline gonidia. He was able to see
the germinating tube from a lichen spore attach itself to a gonidium,
though he failed in his attempts to induce further growth. In our own
country Archer[193] welcomed the new views on lichens, and attempted
cultures but with very little success. Further synthetic cultures were
made by Bornet[194], Treub[195] and Borzi[196] with a series of lichen
spores. They also were able to observe the first stages of the thallus.
Borzi observed spores of _Physcia_ (_Xanthoria_) _parietina_ scattered
among _Protococcus_ cells on the branch of a tree. The spores had
germinated and the first branching hyphae had already begun to encircle
the algae.
[Illustration: Fig. 5. _Endocarpon pusillum_ Hedw. Asci and spores, with
hymenial gonidia × 320 (after Stahl).]
[Illustration: Fig. 6. _Endocarpon pusillum_ Hedw. Spore germinating in
contact with hymenial gonidia × 320 (after Stahl).]
Additional evidence in favour of the theory of the independent origin
of the colourless filaments and the green cells was furnished by
Stahl’s[197] research on hymenial gonidia in _Endocarpon_ (Fig. 5). By
making synthetic cultures of the mature spores with these bodies, he was
able to observe not only the germination of the spores and the attachment
of the filaments to the gonidia (Fig. 6), but also the gradual building
up of a complete lichen thallus to the formation of perithecia and spores.
[Illustration: Fig. 7. Germination of spore of _Physcia parietina_ De
Not. in contact with _Protococcus viridis_ Ag. × 950 (after Bornet).]
[Illustration: Fig. 8. _Physcia parietina_ De Not. Vertical section of
thallus obtained by synthetic culture × 130 (after Bonnier).]
Some years later Bonnier[198] made an interesting series of synthetic
cultures between the spores of lichens germinated in carefully sterilized
conditions, and algae taken from the open (Figs. 7 and 8). Separate
control cultures of spores and algae were carried on at the same time,
with the result that in one case lichen hyphae alone, in the other algae
were produced. The various lichen spores with which he experimented were
sown in association with the following algae:
(1) PROTOCOCCUS.
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