Plasmogamy is a stage in the sexual reproduction of fungi. In this stage, the cytoplasm of two parent mycelia fuse together without the fusion of nuclei, as occurs in higher terrestrial fungi. Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching threadlike hyphae that exists below the ground or within another substrate. ...
The nucleolus is usually also retained and divided between the daughter cells, although it may be expelled from the nucleus, or it may be dispersed within the nucleus but detectable.
Plasmogamy, the fusion of two protoplasts (the contents of the two cells), brings together two compatible haploid nuclei.
The dikaryotic state that results from plasmogamy is often a prominent condition in fungi and may be prolonged over several generations.
They may be indistinguishable as to sex or may be characterized as being the male gametangium (antheridium) or female gametangium (ascogonium, in the case of the ascomycota).
Plasmogamy occurs when vegetative hyphae of compatible mating types fuse, there are no distinguishable gametangia.
Since karyogamy is delayed, this plasmogamy results in mycelium that has 2 nuclei in each cell (dikaryotic mycelium, N+N).
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