Systematics and Evolution, Part A The Mycota

8 Zygomycetous Fungi: Phylum Entomophthoromycota

and Subphyla Kickxellomycotina, Mortierellomycotina,

Mucoromycotina, and Zoopagomycotina

GERALDL. BENNY^1 ,RICHARDA. HUMBER^2 ,KERSTINVOIGT^3

CONTENTS

I. Introduction............................... 209

II. Occurrence and Distribution............. 210

III. Economic Importance and Biology....... 211

A. Food..................................... 211

B. Plant Pathogens (ChoanephoraFruit Rot)

and Storage Rots........................ 211

C. Zygomycosis ............................ 212

D. Industrial Uses of Zygomycotan Fungi:

Biotechnology, Biodegradation,

Biosorption, Bioremediation,

Biotransformation ...................... 212

E. Mucorales and Endobacteria ........... 213

F. Light ..................................... 213

G. Mating................................... 213

IV. Development of Taxonomic Theory...... 214

V. Reproduction and Dispersal.............. 215

A. Growth .................................. 215

B. Dispersal ................................ 215

VI. Classification............................... 216

A. Phylum, Subphyla, Classes, and Orders 216

B. Ordinal Distribution.................... 216

C. Phylum Entomophthoromycota

(Fig.8.1)................................. 217

1. Morphology .......................... 217


2. Taxonomy to Classes and Orders ... 222
   D. Nonentomophthoralean Subphyla
   (Kickxellomycotina, Mortierellomycotina,
   Mucoromycotina, Zoopagomycotina). 224


3. Mitospores ........................... 225


4. Endospore-Forming Structures ..... 226


5. Thallospores.......................... 228


6. Meiospores ........................... 229
   5. Kickxellomycotina ................... 230
   6. Mortierellomycotina and
   Mortierellales......................... 232
   7. Mucoromycotina..................... 233
   8. Zoopagomycotina and Zoopagales.. 235
   VII. Maintenance and Culture................. 237
   VIII. Conclusions................................ 239
   References.................................. 240

I. Introduction

Members of the phylum Zygomycota were dis-

cussed previously as Trichomycetes and Zygo-

mycetes (Benny 2001 ; Benny et al. 2001 ). The

phylum was never validly published according

to the International Code of Botanical Nomen-

clature (McNeill et al. 2012 ). Hibbett et al.

( 2007 ) recommended that the phylum name

not be validated and that the taxon not be

used formally. The trichomycetes and zygomy-

cetes are no longer used here as classes, but the

included organisms share a similar habit and

habitat, and therefore the names are used in

lowercase to demonstrate these affinities.

Zygomycotan fungi are heterotrophs that

reproduce sexually, where known, by the for-

mation of zygospores. Asexual reproduction is

by the formation of aplanospores (sporangios-

pores, trichospores, conidia, yeast cells,

arthrospores, chlamydospores). Nutrient

uptake is by absorption. The cell wall is

composed of chitosan in the order Mucorales

or chitin in the other orders, as far as is known.

Zygomycetous fungi are symbionts in the

orders Asellariales and Harpellales) in the gut

of arthopods, including insects and their lar-

vae, that attach to the host via a cellular or

(^1) Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, 1453
Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611-0680, USA; e-mail:gben-
[email protected]
(^2) USDA-ARS Biological Integrated Pest Management Unit,
R.W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, 538 Tower
Road, Ithaca, NY 10453, USA; e-mail:richard.humber@ars.
usda.gov
(^3) Jena Microbial Resource Collection (JMRC), Institute of
Microbiology, University of Jena, Neugasse 07743, Jena, Ger-
many; e-mail:[email protected]
Systematics and Evolution, 2ndEdition
The Mycota VII Part A
D.J. McLaughlin and J.W. Spatafora (Eds.)
©Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014