Neurospora and Claviceps belong to the class Ascomycetes, while Mucor (Zygomycetes) and Albugo (Oomycetes/Phycomycetes) are categorized as "lower fungi."In Ascomycetes, plasmogamy (fusion of protoplasm) is not immediately followed by karyogamy (fusion of nuclei). This results in an intervening dikaryotic phase (stage) where two nuclei coexist in one cell before eventually fusing to form a diploid nucleus.In contrast, in lower fungi like Mucor and Albugo, karyogamy occurs almost immediately after plasmogamy, meaning they do not exhibit a prolonged dikaryotic stage.

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