Introduction to Mycology

1. Chapter 1.
Introduction to Mycology
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3. Chapter 1. Introduction to Mycology
 word mycology comes from the Greek: μύκης (mukēs), meaning "fungus" and the suffix -
λογία (-logia), meaning "study“
 Therefore mycology is the study of fungi
 Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their
 Genetics
 biochemical properties,
 their taxonomy and
 their use to humans as a source for tinder (dry, flammable material, such as wood
or paper, used for lighting a fire), medicine (e.g., penicillin), food
(e.g., beer, wine, cheese, edible mushrooms), and entheogens (psychoactive
substance used for spiritual purpose), as well as their dangers, such
as poisoning or infection
 A biologist specializing in mycology is called a mycologist.
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4. It is presumed that humans started collecting mushrooms as food
in Prehistoric times.
 Mushrooms were first written about in the works of Euripides (480-406
B.C.).
The Greek philosopher Theophrastos of Eressos (371-288 B.C.) was
perhaps the first to try to systematically classify plants; mushrooms were
considered to be plants missing certain organs.
 It was later Pliny the elder (23–79 A.D.), who wrote about truffles in his
encyclopedia Naturalis historia.
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5. The Middle Ages (the period from 5th century to 1453)
saw little advancement in the body of knowledge about fungi.
Rather, the invention of the printing press allowed some authors to disseminate
superstitions and misconceptions about the fungi that had been perpetuated by the
classical authors
The start of the Modern Age Of Mycology begins with Pier Antonio Micheli's 1737
publication of Nova plantarum genera.
Published in Florence, Italy; laid the foundations for the systematic classification of
grasses, mosses and fungi.
The term mycology and the complementary mycologist were first used in 1836 by M.J.
Berkeley.
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6. The ability of fungi to invade plant and animal tissue was observed in early 19th
century
but the first documented animal infection by any fungus was made by Bassi,
who in 1835 studied the muscardine (a poisonous compound present in fly
agaric and other fungi) disease of silkworm and proved that the infection
was caused by a fungus Beauveria bassiana.
In 1910 Raymond Sabouraud published his book “Les Teignes”, which was a
comprehensive study of dermatophytic fungi (a pathogenic fungus that grows on
skin and other body surfaces, causing ringworm and related diseases).
He (Raymond Sabouraud) is also regarded as father of medical mycology.
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7. From mycology arose the field of phytopathology, the study of plant diseases, and the two disciplines
remain closely related because the vast majority of "plant" pathogens are fungi.
Historically, mycology was a branch of botany because, although fungi are evolutionarily more closely
related to animals than to plants, this was not recognized until a few decades ago.
Many fungi produce toxins, antibiotics, and other secondary metabolites. For example,
the cosmopolitan (worldwide) genus Fusarium and their toxins associated with fatal outbreaks of
alimentary toxic aleukia in humans were extensively studied by Abraham Joffe.
In late 1950s and early 1960s fungi reclassified into Kingdom Fungi.
Molecular biology take center stage in their taxonomy.
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8. The worldwide community accepted fungi as distinct organisms outside
Plant kingdom.
Fungi are living organisms that do not require direct sunlight, do not
employ photosynthesis to live, require organic substances for nutrition and
reproduce by spores.
Kingdom Fungi includes mushrooms, truffles, molds, mildew, crop rusts,
rots, blights, wilts, scabs, spots, yeasts and etc.
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9. Fungi are fundamental for life on earth in their roles as symbionts, e.g. in the form
of mycorrhizae, insect symbionts, and lichens.
 Many fungi are able to break down complex organic biomolecules such as lignin, the more
durable component of wood, and pollutants such as xenobiotics, petroleum, and polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons.
By decomposing these molecules, fungi play a critical role in the global carbon cycle.
Fungi and other organisms traditionally recognized as fungi, such as oomycetes (water molds)
and myxomycetes (slime molds), often are economically and socially important, as some cause
diseases of animals (such as histoplasmosis) as well as plants (such as Dutch elm disease and Rice
blast).
Some fungi can cause disease in humans or other organisms. The study of pathogenic fungi is
referred to as medical mycology.
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