In reply to:
I have read the Fanaticus argument for spore races, and I don't think it is relevant for Psilocybe cubensis. His proof is a non related mushroom, that is a pathogen of living trees. The variation within that species is a result of it's adapting (Physiologically) to Plant defense compounds, it comes in contact with on the many different species of trees it eats. It attacks living trees!!! It must evolve specialized enzymes, structural features, etc.. to overcome this diversity. These changes require changes in it's genes. These changes are significant enough that they result in RACE developement. Compatibility is lost, to protect these differences. They are still labeled as the same species by taxonomists, and just refered to as RACES. Cubensis encounters none of these problems. Each STRAIN is able to feed on similar substrates, in similar environments. B+ will eat anything that GT, or EQ, will eat. The same cannot be said for the different races of Armillaria mellea. PF will eat anything as well, it just prefers the substance it has been eating for a very long time. It has a prefrence for it, but it is not limited to it. This does not make it a cultural or physiological Race. Isolate monokaryons of it and breed them with monokaryons of all the other Strains in circulation. YOU will be DISSAPOINTED to find that they do mate!!! P.cubensis is a single species that has been spread around the world, all of it's variation is related to the composition of the manure it fruits on, and the immediate suroundings(climate) it lives in. This is my opinion, and it is in disagreement with PF theory.

Comparing cubensis to Armillaria mellea is bad science, in my OPINION.

His other proof is related to injecting a mixed spore solution of two strains into a single substrate. This is not isolation of monokaryons to perform a compatibility study. As was stated, compatible spores closest to each other will mate first, these will then fuse with compatible dikaryons that are closest. Fusions will occur between a single STRAIN at a higher frequency then between strains.

Multisporing itself takes longer to reach maturity, add two different strains into the mix, and it will take longer. You want fast, you use isolated cultures of a single substrain.

Breeding experiments should start on a petri plate, not in a jar. In his test, a dominant strain could have just outcompeted the weaker strains, or just incorporated them into itself. The problem with testing that way, is YOU DON"T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. You are just making guesses.

Compatibility tests are done the same way BREEDING systems are determined. Via monokaryon isolation and breeding tests!!! Some one had to perform the REAL test to know that P. cubensis as a species is HETEROTHALLIC and TETRAPOLAR. Simply injecting spores into a substrate could never lead to that determination.

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In reply to:

>Two strains in the same substrate will not become simbiotic but will fight for
>substrate, so the results could be just one strain poorly fruiting , the two strains
>poorly fruiting or not fruiting at all, IT IS A WASTE.

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In reply to:

I think he was talking about spore races, rather than strains, that stamets quote referred to strains, which may not apply.

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