ARS | Publication request: TAXONOMIC POSITION AND STRUCTURE OF THE GENERA MORTIERELLA, MICROMUCOR AND UMBELOPSIS

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 4, 1999
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Mortierella and the morphologically similar genera Micromucor and Umbeliopsis are some of the most important taxa within the filamentous fungus group Zygomycetes. A number of species are of considerable importance in the production of a diverse range of biochemicals for industry. This investigation was initiated to characterize these fungi morphologically and molecularly to develop systematic and molecular diagnostic tools for the rapid detection and accurate identification of industrially important strains. Results of this study are the first to report that Micromucor and Umbelopsis are not closely related to Mortierella genetically and that Micromucor is nested within Umbelopsis. Further, this study is the first to demonstrate that, based on genetic analysis of the molecular data, the genera Echinosporangium, Gamsiella, and Dissophora are nested within Mortierella. Results of this study illustrate the importance of combining data from different sources to critically evaluate genetic relationships for the purpose of developing systematic tools and molecular diagnostics.