Neurospora crassa

By: Amy Pribadi
Published: 2016-10-11

Neurospora crassa is a red mold that scientists use to study genetics. N. crassa commonly grows on bread as shown in the top left corner of this figure. To culture the mold in lab, researchers grow it in glassware such as test tubes, Erlenmeyer flasks, and petri dishes, as shown in the top right corner of the figure. In the glassware, researchers place a gel, called a medium, of agar, sucrose, salts, and vitamins. The mold grows on the medium, and cotton stoppers prevent anything from contaminating the mold. Under a microscope, researchers can see the structure of the mold's ascospores, which are haploid and oval-shaped structures and function in the mold's life cycle as seeds function in a plant's life cycle.


Keywords

How to cite

Pribadi, Amy, "Neurospora crassa". Embryo Project Encyclopedia ( ). ISSN: 1940-5030 https://hdl.handle.net/10776/11359

Publisher

Arizona State University. School of Life Sciences. Center for Biology and Society. Embryo Project Encyclopedia.

Last modified

Share this page