adjective
- (of a parasitic fungus or rust) completing its entire life cycle on a single host plant species
Usage: biology; mycology
Examples
- The autecious rust fungus requires only one host plant to complete its development.
- Unlike heteroecious rusts, autecious species do not alternate between different plant hosts.
- Botanists study autecious pathogens to understand single-host disease cycles.
- This autecious fungus infects wheat throughout all stages of its life cycle.