Fungal Diversity

Abstract

The Fungi are an ancient and diverse group of eukaryotic microoganisms. Molecular experiments suggest that the common ancestor of the fungi lived in the Precambrian. The earliest fungi were probably aquatic species whose zoospores propelled themselves through water using single flagella. Fungi called chytrids that are found in aquatic habitats and soils today may resemble these ancestral microbes. The exploration of the evolutionary relationships between different groups of fungi using molecular phylogenetic methods has produced a rich natural classification that embraces six phyla. These modern approaches to fungal classification have built upon a rich tradition of observational research that began in the eighteenth century. In this opening chapter, we consider the structural characteristics and life cycles of the major groups of fungi. This serves as an introduction to the examination of the great sweep of specific topics in fungal biology in subsequent chapters.