Mucorales

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Mucorales
Pilobolus crystallinus sporangia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Mucoromycota
Subdivision: Mucoromycotina
Order: Mucorales
Families

See text

The Mucorales is the largest and best-studied

fungi. Members of this order are sometimes called pin molds. The term mucormycosis is now preferred for infections caused by molds belonging to the order Mucorales.[citation needed
]

Systematics

The order includes: 11

Chaetocladiaceae and Radiomycetaceae. Some of the genera, (including Mucor, Absidia and Backusella
) appear to be polyphyletic. Today, the traditional system is still largely in use, as further studies are needed to reconcile morphological and molecular concepts of families and genera.

Families

Micrograph of a mucoralean fungus, showing characteristic variation in thickness

The order consists of the following families:

Description

Mucoralean fungi are typically fast-growing, and their wide

gametangia). The hyphae grow mostly within the substrate. Sporangiophores are upright (simple or ramified) hyphae, that support sac-like sporangia
filled with asexual sporangiospores. Other structures include merospores, oidia, and sporangiola.

Many are known by the damage they do to stored food such as bread. Others can cause mucormycosis, generally in immunosuppressed patients, or patients already infected with other diseases.

Life cycle

The sporangiospores are asexual mitospores (formed via mitosis), produced inside sporangia (thousands of spores) or sporangioles (single or few spores). They are released when mature by the disintegration of the sporangium wall, or as a whole sporangiole that separates from the sporangiophore.

The sporangiospores

haploid hyphae of a new mycelium. Asexual reproduction
often occurs continuously.

In

homothallic
.

The original report of sex in fungi, occurred two centuries ago, based on observations of the fungus Syzygites megalocarpus (Mucoromycotina) (reviewed by Idnurm[1]). This species, was subsequently used in 1904, to represent self-fertile species when the concept of two major mating strategies were developed for the fungi. These strategies are homothallism for self-fertile fungi and heterothallism for self-incompatible, outcrossing fungi.

Ecology

Most Mucoralean species are

saprotrophic, and grow on organic substrates (such as fruit, soil, and dung). Some species are parasites or pathogens of animals, plants and fungi. A few species cause human and animal disease
.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mucorales.
Wikispecies has information related to Mucorales.
  1. PMID 21908600
    .
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