What is the lifecycle of didymo and could it affect the spread?
Didymo populations grow mainly by asexual cell division. Sexual reproduction is likely, but not yet observed in didymo. The presence of a dormant or resting stage has never been reported. Little is known about which factors trigger asexual versus sexual cell division. Nor is it known what role the mucilaginous stalks have on the lifecycle of didymo especially compared to the more common diatoms which do not produce such extreme amounts of mucilage. It is likely the mucilage protects individual didymo cells from short term dehydration and therefore could aid in dispersal. Free-floating cells of other species of freshwater diatoms have been found to survive only a few hours when completely out of water, but if kept moist, they can survive longer.
