Ultrastructure of dormant basidiospores of Agaricus campestris
The basidiospore wall of Agaricus campestris Fr. consists of three distinct layers. The outer two layers are continuous around the spore, while the third layer originates only a short distance from the hilar appendage and quickly thickens to form the bulk of the wall material of the hilar appendage. The protoplast is surrounded by a typical plasma membrane which lacks distinct invaginations. Centrally located nonmembrane-bound lipid droplets comprise the bulk of the protoplasm. Spores are binucleate, but the two nuclei do not exhibit any distinct relationship to each other. Sausage-shaped mitochondria with only a few but well-delineated plate-like cristae are present. Scant endoplasmic reticulum occurs just beneath the plasma membrane. Ribosomes occur regularly attached to the endoplasmic reticulum and outer mitochondrial membrane, as well as being densely packed throughout the cytoplasm. The structure and possible functions of single membrane bound vacuoles and microbody-like organelles are discussed in relation to other basidiospores.