Fungal Genetics Stock Center

Organism Information

Aspergillus

Aspergillus is a genus consisting of several hundred mold species found in various climates worldwide. Aspergillus was first catalogued in 1729 by the Italian priest and biologist Pier Antonio Micheli. Viewing the fungi under a microscope, Micheli was reminded of the shape of an aspergillum, from Latin spargere, and named the genus accordingly. Per Wikipedia

Fusarium

Fusarium is a large genus of filamentous fungi, part of a group often referred to as hyphomycetes, widely distributed in soil and associated with plants. Most species are harmless saprobes, and are relatively abundant members of the soil microbial community. Per Wikipedia

Magnaporthe

Magnaporthe is a genus of ascomycete fungi. Several of the species are cereal pathogens. There are five species in the widespread genus. Per Wikipedia

Neurospora

Neurospora is the name of a fungal genus containing several distinct species. Fungal genera propagate in one of two basic ways.

1. The fungi called yeasts are found as populations of individual cells, and each cell propagates by cell division.

2. Filamentous (mycelial) fungi have thread-like cells that propagate by tip extension and branching.

Both yeasts and filamentous fungi have been extensively used as model organisms for the study of genetics. The genus Neurospora is one of the main groups of filamentous fungi that have been used as model organisms because this genus has many features that lend themselves to this use.