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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #172486
Title: PHYLUM ZYGOMYCOTA: MICROSCOPIC 'PIN' OR 'SUGAR' MOLDS

Author
item JAMES, TIMOTHY - DUKE UNIV, DURHAM, NC
item O Donnell, Kerry

Submitted to: World Wide Web
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/21/2004
Publication Date: 12/28/2004
Citation: James, T.Y., O Donnell, K. 2004. Phylum zygomycota: microscopic 'pin' or 'sugar' molds. Available: http://toweb.org/Zygomycota/20518/2004.12.21.

Interpretive Summary: The Tree of Life Project (ToL) is an Internet-based resource at http://tolweb.org/tree/ designed to provide information about the characteristics, evolutionary history and diversity of all life on Earth. A web page for the fungal Phylum Zygomycota was prepared following a standard format provided by the ToL. The Zygomycota page contains a high school-level introduction to the group, characteristics that distinguish members of this Phylum from other Fungi, an up-to-date discussion of their evolutionary relationships, key references to published scientific literature on the Zygomycota together with links to additional information on the Internet.

Technical Abstract: A web page for the fungal Phylum Zygomycota was prepared for the Tree of Life Web Project (ToL) at http://tolweb.org/tree/. The page contains an introduction to the group, illustrating characteristics that place this group within the true Fungi together with those that distinguish its members from other fungal phyla. Diagnostic asexual reproductive structures such as sporangia, sporangiola and merosporangia are defined and illustrated using scanning electron micrographs and/or light micrographs. Similarly, diagnostic sexual reproductive structures are illustrated using scanning electron micrographs. In addition, a generalized life cycle is provided to illustrate how the asexual and sexual cycles are integrated. An up-to-date discussion of phylogenetic relationships is provided together with a selected list of the most relevant literature references as well as links to additional information on the Internet.