WAR  of  the  MICROWORLDS  

How do I kill Thee?   Let me count the Ways!   (# 1)

(with apologies to HGW and EBB)

Zygospores of Ballocephala sphaerospora inside Body of  Tardigrade (Water Bear)

(Image from MycoAlbum CD by George Barron - see  www.mycographics.com)

The zygospores have very thick walls and the small, spherical inclusions are oil droplets (reserve food supply). These thick-walled spores can survive for prolonged periods (weeks - months- years) but eventually germinate to produce spores that will infect a later generation of the host.    In the meantime, of course,  they could be attacked and consumed by some other predator of 'thick-walled' spores like the giant mycophagous amoeba Vampyrella.