Sample collection and rearing
The parthenogenetic Danish strain FCDK was originally obtained in 2007 from Paul Henning Krogh’s lab at Aarhus University, Denmark, and the sexual Shanghai strain of FCSH was collected in 2008 from Shanghai Botanic Garden, China. Both strains have been cultured in our laboratory for over 10 years. They are reared in Petri dishes containing a solidified mixture of plaster of Paris and activated charcoal (9:1 wt/wt, dissolved in distilled water), fed granulated dried baker’s yeast and distilled water, and kept in an artificial climate chamber in total darkness (20 ± 1°C, 80% relative humidity).