Editing Mycology

{{Short description|Branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi}}

[[File:Mycena leaiana var. australis.jpg|thumb|300px| Mature [[Mycena leaiana]], a kind of [[Mushroom]], in [[Mount Field National Park]].]]
{{TopicTOC-Biology}}
'''Mycology''' is the branch of [[biology]] concerned with the study of [[fungus|fungi]], including their [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]], [[genetics]], [[biochemistry|biochemical]] properties, and [[ethnomycology|use by humans]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Arora |first1=Dilip K. |title=Agriculture and Food Production |last2=Khachatourians |first2=George G. |date=2001 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-444-50657-3 |editor-last=Khachatourians |editor-first=George G. |edition=1st |location=Amsterdam New York |editor-last2=Arora }}</ref> Fungi can be a source of [[tinder]], [[Edible mushroom|food]], [[traditional medicine]], as well as [[entheogens]], [[poison]], and [[fungal infection|infection]]. [[Yeast]]s are among the most heavily utilized members of the [[fungus]] kingdom, particularly in food manufacturing.<ref name=":32"/>

Mycology branches into the field of [[phytopathology]], the study of plant diseases. The two disciplines are closely related, because the vast majority of plant pathogens are fungi. A biologist specializing in mycology is called a '''mycologist'''.

== Overview ==
The word ''mycology'' comes from the [[Greek language|Ancient Greek]]: [[wikt:μύκης|μύκης]] (''mukēs''), meaning "fungus" and the suffix {{lang|grc|[[wikt:-λογία|-λογία]]}} (''-logia''), meaning "study."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Henry |first=Alexander |title=A Glossary of Scientific Terms for General Use |year=1861 |isbn=9781164123880 |pages=113}}</ref> Pioneer mycologists included [[Elias Magnus Fries]], [[Christiaan Hendrik Persoon]], [[Heinrich Anton de Bary]], [[Elizabeth Eaton Morse]], and [[Lewis David de Schweinitz]]. [[Beatrix Potter]], author of ''[[The Tale of Peter Rabbit]]'', also made significant contributions to the field.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Casadevall A, Kontoyiannis DP, Robert V | title = On the Emergence of ''Candida auris'': Climate Change, Azoles, Swamps, and Birds | language = en-us | journal = mBio | volume = 10 | issue = 4 | date = July 2019 | pages = 1786–1787 | pmc = 6711238 | doi = 10.3201/eid2509.ac2509 | pmid = 31337723 }}</ref>

[[Pier Andrea Saccardo]] developed a system for classifying the [[Deuteromycota|imperfect fungi]] by spore color and form, which became the primary system used before classification by [[Genetic fingerprinting|DNA analysis]]. He is most famous for his ''Sylloge Fungorum'',<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.5962/bhl.title.5371 |title=Sylloge fungorum omnium hucusque cognitorum |date=1882 |last1=Saccardo |first1=P. A. |last2=Traverso |first2=G. B. |last3=Trotter |first3=A. |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/102125 }}{{page needed|date=July 2024}}</ref> which was a comprehensive list of all of the [[Binomial nomenclature|names]] that had been used for [[mushrooms]]. ''Sylloge'' is still the only work of this kind that was both comprehensive for the [[Kingdom (biology)|botanical kingdom]] [[Fungus|Fungi]] and reasonably modern.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bolman |first1=Brad |title=What mysteries lay in spore: taxonomy, data, and the internationalization of mycology in Saccardo's Sylloge Fungorum |journal=The British Journal for the History of Science |date=September 2023 |volume=56 |issue=3 |pages=369–390 |doi=10.1017/S0007087423000158 |pmid=37248705 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Many fungi produce [[toxin]]s,<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Wilson BJ | title = Microbial Toxins| volume = 6: Fungal Toxins | veditors = Ciegler A, Kadis S, Ajl SJ | publisher = Academic Press | location = New York | date = 1971 | page = 251 }}</ref> [[antibiotics]],<ref name="Brian1951">{{cite journal |last1=Brian |first1=P. W. |title=Antibiotics produced by fungi |journal=The Botanical Review |date=June 1951 |volume=17 |issue=6 |pages=357–430 |doi=10.1007/BF02879038 |bibcode=1951BotRv..17..357B }}</ref> and other [[secondary metabolism|secondary metabolites]]. For example, the [[cosmopolitan distribution|cosmopolitan]] genus ''[[Fusarium]]'' and their toxins associated with fatal outbreaks of alimentary toxic aleukia in humans were extensively studied by [[Abraham Z. Joffe]].<ref name="JoffeYagen1978">{{cite journal |last1=Joffe |first1=Abraham Z. |last2=Yagen |first2=Boris |title=Intoxication produced by toxic fungi Fusarium poae and F. sporotrichioides on chicks |journal=Toxicon |date=January 1978 |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=263–273 |doi=10.1016/0041-0101(78)90087-9 |pmid=653754 |bibcode=1978Txcn...16..263J }}</ref>

Fungi are fundamental for life on earth in their roles as [[symbiosis|symbionts]], e.g. in the form of [[mycorrhiza]]e, [[insect]] symbionts, and [[lichen]]s. Many fungi are able to break down complex [[organic compound|organic]] [[biomolecules]] such as [[lignin]], the more durable component of [[wood]], and pollutants such as [[xenobiotic]]s, [[petroleum]], and [[polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon]]s. 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]] and myxomycetes ([[slime molds]]), often are economically and socially important, as some [[Fungal disease|cause diseases]] of animals (including humans) and of plants.<ref name="De Lucca 2007 pp. 3–13">{{cite journal | vauthors = De Lucca AJ | title = Harmful fungi in both agriculture and medicine | journal = Revista Iberoamericana de Micologia | volume = 24 | issue = 1 | pages = 3–13 | date = March 2007 | pmid = 17592884 }}</ref>

Apart from pathogenic fungi, many fungal species are very important in controlling the plant diseases caused by different pathogens. For example, species of the filamentous fungal genus ''[[Trichoderma]]'' are considered one of the most important biological control agents as an alternative to chemical-based products for effective crop disease management.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ruano-Rosa |first1=David |last2=Prieto |first2=Pilar |last3=Rincón |first3=Ana María |last4=Gómez-Rodríguez |first4=María Victoria |last5=Valderrama |first5=Raquel |last6=Barroso |first6=Juan Bautista |last7=Mercado-Blanco |first7=Jesús |title=Fate of Trichoderma harzianum in the olive rhizosphere: time course of the root colonization process and interaction with the fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae |journal=BioControl |date=June 2016 |volume=61 |issue=3 |pages=269–282 |doi=10.1007/s10526-015-9706-z |bibcode=2016BioCo..61..269R }}</ref>

Field meetings to find interesting species of fungi are known as 'forays', after the first such meeting organized by the [[Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club]] in 1868 and entitled "A foray among the funguses{{Sic|}}".<ref>{{cite journal |author=Anon |title=A foray among the funguses |journal=Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club |volume=1868 |year=1868 |pages=184–192 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/44662#page/254/mode/1up |publisher=Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club. |access-date=2018-01-14 |archive-date=2018-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106214608/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/44662#page/254/mode/1up |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some fungi can cause disease in humans and other animals; the study of [[pathogenic fungi]] that infect animals is referred to as [[pathogenic fungi|medical mycology]].<ref name= SanBlasCalderone>{{cite book |last1=San-Blas |first1=Gioconda |last2=Calderone |first2=Richard A. |title=Pathogenic Fungi: Insights in Molecular Biology |date=2008 |publisher=Caister Academic Press |isbn=978-1-913652-13-5 }}{{page needed|date=July 2024}}</ref>

==History==
It is believed that humans started [[Mushroom hunting|collecting mushrooms]] as food in [[prehistoric]] times. Mushrooms were first written about in the works of [[Euripides]] (480–406 BC). The Greek philosopher [[Theophrastos]] of [[Eresos]] (371–288 BC) 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 AD), who wrote about [[truffles]] in his encyclopedia ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pliny the Elder|title=Book 19, Chapter 11.|trans-title=Natural History|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0137:book=19:chapter=11&highlight=truffle,tuber|access-date=28 February 2021|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu|archive-date=4 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404051655/https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0137:book=19:chapter=11&highlight=truffle,tuber|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Rquote|right|Fungi and truffles are neither herbs, nor roots, nor flowers, nor seeds, but merely the superfluous moisture or earth, of trees, or rotten wood, and of other rotting things. This is plain from the fact that all fungi and truffles, especially those that are used for eating, grow most commonly in thundery and wet weather.|Jerome Bock ([[Hieronymus Tragus]])|1552<ref name=Buller>''De stirpium maxime earum quae in Germania nostra nascuntur, usitatis nomenclaturis''. Strasbourg. In {{harvnb|Ainsworth|1976|p=13}} quoting {{cite journal | vauthors = Buller AH | date = 1915 | title = Micheli and the discovery of reproduction in fungi. | journal =Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada | series = 3 | volume = 9 | pages = 1–25 }}</ref>}}

The [[Middle Ages]] saw little advancement in the body of knowledge about fungi. However, the invention of the printing press allowed authors to dispel superstitions and misconceptions about the fungi that had been perpetuated by the classical authors.{{sfn|Ainsworth|1976|p=13}}

[[File:British Mycological Society 1913 a.jpg|thumb|Group photograph taken at a meeting of the [[British Mycological Society]] in 1913 ]]

The start of the modern age of mycology begins with [[Pier Antonio Micheli]]'s 1737 publication of ''Nova plantarum genera''.{{sfn|Ainsworth|1976|p=4}} Published in [[Florence]], this seminal work laid the foundations for the systematic [[classification (biology)|classification]] of grasses, mosses and fungi. He originated the still current genus names ''[[Polyporus]]''<ref>{{Cite web |title=the Polyporus P. Micheli page |url=https://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=39251 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=www.indexfungorum.org |archive-date=2023-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004174339/https://www.indexfungorum.org/names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=39251 |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Tuber (fungus)|''Tuber'']],<ref>{{Cite web |title=the Tuber P. Micheli page |url=https://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=39296 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=www.indexfungorum.org |archive-date=2023-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715063649/http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=39296 |url-status=live }}</ref> both dated 1729 (though the descriptions were later amended as invalid by modern rules).

The founding [[Binomial nomenclature|nomenclaturist]] [[Carl Linnaeus]] included fungi in his [[Binomial nomenclature|binomial naming system]] in 1753, where each type of organism has a two-word name consisting of a [[genus]] and [[species]] (whereas up to then organisms were often designated with Latin phrases containing many words).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kibby |first=Geoffrey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F1jnswEACAAJ |title=Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe |date=2017 |publisher=Geoffrey Kibby |isbn=978-0-9572094-2-8 |pages=14–15 |language=en}}</ref> He originated the scientific names of numerous well-known mushroom [[taxa]], such as ''[[Boletus]]''<ref>{{Cite web |title=the Boletus L. page |url=https://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=17175 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=www.indexfungorum.org |archive-date=2023-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111140305/http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=17175 |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[Agaricus]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=the Agaricus L. page |url=https://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=17030 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=www.indexfungorum.org}}</ref> which are still in use today. During this period, fungi were still considered to belong to the plant kingdom, so they were categorized in his ''[[Species Plantarum]]''. Linnaeus' fungal taxa were not nearly as comprehensive as his plant taxa, however, grouping together all gilled mushrooms with a stem in genus ''Agaricus''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=http://fmhibd.library.cmu.edu/HIBD-DB/Species/home.php |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=fmhibd.library.cmu.edu |archive-date=2018-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712163756/http://fmhibd.library.cmu.edu/HIBD-DB/Species/home.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Linné |first1=Carl von |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/669 |title=Caroli Linnaei ... Species plantarum :exhibentes plantas rite cognitas, ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas... |last2=Linné |first2=Carl von |last3=Salvius |first3=Lars |date=1753 |publisher=Impensis Laurentii Salvii |edition=1st |volume=2 |location=Holmiae |pages=1171 |access-date=2020-07-16 |archive-date=2020-05-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506044412/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/669 |url-status=live }}</ref> Thousands of gilled species exist, which were later divided into dozens of diverse genera; in its modern usage, ''Agaricus'' only refers to mushrooms closely related to the common shop mushroom, ''[[Agaricus bisporus]]''.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Læssøe |first1=Thomas |last2=Petersen |first2=Jens Henrik |title=Fungi of Temperate Europe |date=2019 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-18037-3 |pages=8, 500 }}</ref> For example, Linnaeus gave the name ''Agaricus deliciosus'' to the saffron milk-cap, but its current name is ''[[Lactarius deliciosus]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=the Agaricus deliciosus L. page |url=https://www.speciesfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=196882 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=www.speciesfungorum.org |archive-date=2023-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201221302/https://www.speciesfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=196882 |url-status=live }}</ref> On the other hand, the field mushroom ''[[Agaricus campestris]]'' has kept the same name ever since Linnaeus's publication.<ref>{{Cite web |title=the Agaricus campestris L. page |url=https://www.speciesfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=356498 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=www.speciesfungorum.org |archive-date=2023-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116125922/https://www.speciesfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=356498 |url-status=live }}</ref> The English word "[[agaric]]" is still used for any gilled mushroom, which corresponds to Linnaeus's use of the word.<ref name=":0" />

Although mycology was historically considered a branch of [[botany]], the 1969 discovery<ref name="Whittaker organisms">{{cite journal |author=Whittaker RH |date=10 January 1969 |title=New concepts of kingdoms of organisms: evolutionary relations are better represented by new classifications than by the traditional two kingdoms |journal=Science |volume=163 |issue=3863 |pages=150–160 |doi=10.1126/science.163.3863.150 |pmid=5762760}}</ref> of fungi's close [[evolution]]ary relationship to animals resulted in the study's reclassification as an independent field.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Woese |first1=Carl |last2=Kandler |first2=Otto |last3=Wheelis |first3=M. L. |date=June 1990 |title=Towards a natural system of organisms: proposal for the domains Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya. |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |language=en |volume=87 |issue=12 |pages=4576–4579 |doi=10.1073/pnas.87.12.4576 |doi-access=free |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=54159 |pmid=2112744|bibcode=1990PNAS...87.4576W }}</ref> The term ''mycology'' and the complementary term ''mycologist'' are traditionally attributed to [[Miles Joseph Berkeley|M.J. Berkeley]] in 1836.{{sfn|Ainsworth|1976|p=2}} However, ''mycologist'' appeared in writings by English botanist [[Robert Kaye Greville]] as early as 1823 in reference to [[Lewis David de Schweinitz|Schweinitz]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Greville |first1=Robert Kaye |title=Observations on a New Genus of Plants, belonging to the Natural Order Gastromyci |journal=The Edinburgh Philosophical Journal |date=April 1823 |volume=8 |issue=16 |page=257 }}</ref>

== Scope and importance ==
===Production, trade, and food manufacturing===
[[Lumber]] and timber products are a key element of [[international trade]],<ref name=":22">{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/298613581 |title=Applied mycology |date=2009 |publisher=CABI |isbn=978-1-84593-534-4 |editor-last=Rai |editor-first=Mahendra |location=Wallingford, UK; Cambridge, Massachusetts |oclc=298613581 |editor-last2=Bridge |editor-first2=P. D.}}</ref> as they are used for all things from [[architecture]] to [[firewood]]. The [[Cultivation (agriculture)|cultivation]] of forested [[ecosystem]]s to produce this amount of usable wood is highly dependent on the [[Mycorrhiza|mycorrhizal symbiotic relationships]] between plants, specifically trees, and fungi. The fungi provide a great number of benefits to their symbiotic plant partner, such as disease tolerance, improved growth and mineral nutrition, stress tolerance, and even [[fertilizer]] utilization.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fulton |first=Susanne M. |title=Mycorrhizal Fungi: Soil, Agriculture and Environmental Implications |date=2011 |publisher=Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated |isbn=978-1-61122-659-1 |series=Air, Water and Soil Pollution Science and Technology |location=Hauppauge}}</ref>

Another major component of international trade over recent years has been [[Edible mushroom|edible]] and [[medicinal mushrooms]]. While many fungal species can be cultivated in large farming installations, the cultivation of some coveted species has yet to be fully understood, which means that there are many species that can only be found naturally in the wild.<ref name=":22" /> While the demand of wild mushroom species has increased worldwide over recent years, the rarity of these species has not changed. Even still, [[mushroom hunting]] has become a key factor in [[local economies]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=de Frutos |first=Pablo |date=2020-03-01 |title=Changes in world patterns of wild edible mushrooms use measured through international trade flows |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1389934119306045 |journal=Forest Policy and Economics |volume=112 |pages=102093 |doi=10.1016/j.forpol.2020.102093 |bibcode=2020ForPE.11202093D |issn=1389-9341}}</ref>

Increased scientific knowledge of fungal diversity has led to [[biotechnological]] advances in food [[manufacturing]].<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last1=Arora |first1=Dilip K. |title=Agriculture and Food Production |last2=Khachatourians |first2=George G. |date=2001 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-444-50657-3 |edition=1st |location=Amsterdam New York}}</ref> Humans have utilized this knowledge by cultivating various types of fungi, particularly [[yeast]]s. There are over 500 species of yeasts that have been cultivated for different purposes, the most common of which is ''[[Saccharomyces cerevisiae]]'', also known as baker's yeast. As its common name suggests, ''S. cerevisiae'' has been used for [[winemaking]], [[baking]], and [[brewing]] since ancient times.<ref name=":32">{{Cite book |last=Sage |first=Harmony |title=Yeast Fermentation Handbook: Essential Guide and Recipes for Beer and Bread Makers |publisher=Callisto Publishing LLC |year=2019 |isbn=9781641526746 |edition=1st}}</ref>

[[Fermentation in food processing|Fermentation]] is one of the earliest forms of food preservation, with the earliest recorded use dating back over 13,000 years ago in [[Israel]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Li |last2=Wang |first2=Jiajing |last3=Rosenburg |first3=Danny |last4=Zhao |first4=Hao |last5=Lengyel |first5=Gyorgy |last6=Nadel |first6=Dani |date=8 September 2018 |title=Fermented beverage and food storage in 13,000 y-old stone mortars at Raqefet Cave Israel: Investigating Natufian ritual feasting |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.08.008 |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |volume=21 |pages=783–793 |doi=10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.08.008 |bibcode=2018JArSR..21..783L |via=Science Direct}}</ref> The cultivation of bacteria and fungi, particularly yeasts, have been used for centuries to increase the storage life of [[meat]]s, [[vegetable]]s, [[grain]]s, and other foods.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Teng |first1=Ting Shien |last2=Chin |first2=Yi Ling |last3=Chai |first3=Kong Fei |last4=Chen |first4=Wei Ning |date=5 May 2021 |title=Fermentation for future food systems: Precision fermentation can complement the scope and applications of traditional fermentation |url=https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.202152680 |journal=EMBO Reports |volume=22 |issue=5|doi=10.15252/embr.202152680 |pmc=8097352 }}</ref> Fermentation also plays a significant role in the production of various food products and alcoholic beverages such as [[beer]] and [[wine]]. About 90% of the world's beer production comes from [[lager beer]] and 5% from [[ale beer]], while the rest is from spontaneous fermentation of a variety of yeasts and bacteria.<ref name=":22" /> Production of alcoholic beverages play significant roles in the economics of many countries, with beer often being a crucial [[export]].<ref name=":22" />

===Plant pathogenic fungi===
Plant pathogenic fungi are a serious threat when it comes to crop availability and [[food security]]. These fungi can infiltrate plants and [[Crop|food crops]], which can cause serious economic issues for agricultural industries in numerous countries.<ref name=":12" /> Various plant pathogens can cause [[cash crop]]s to become [[inedible]] and virtually useless to the farmer that is growing them. This problem has increased over the years as the usage of [[monoculture]]s have become more prevalent: a limited variety of plants in one area can lead to the rapid spread of specific [[pathogen]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/on1101967096 |title=Encyclopedia of global resources |date=2019 |publisher=Salem Press, a division of EBSCO Information Services, Inc.; Grey House Publishing |isbn=978-1-64265-056-3 |editor-last=Madsen |editor-first=Marianne Moss |edition=3rd |location=Ipswich, Massachusetts : Amenia, New York |oclc=on1101967096}}</ref> ''[[Puccinia graminis]]'' is a type of stem rust that targets [[Wheat|wheat crops]] worldwide from [[Africa]] to [[Europe]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Patpour |first1=M. |last2=Hovmøller |first2=M. S. |last3=Justesen |first3=A. F. |last4=Newcomb |first4=M. |last5=Olivera |first5=P. |last6=Jin |first6=Y. |last7=Szabo |first7=L. J. |last8=Hodson |first8=D. |last9=Shahin |first9=A. A. |last10=Wanyera |first10=R. |last11=Habarurema |first11=I. |last12=Wobibi |first12=S. |date=February 2016 |title=Emergence of Virulence to SrTmp in the Ug99 Race Group of Wheat Stem Rust, Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, in Africa |url=https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PDIS-06-15-0668-PDN |journal=Plant Disease |volume=100 |issue=2 |pages=522 |doi=10.1094/PDIS-06-15-0668-PDN |issn=0191-2917|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Olivera Firpo |first1=P. D. |last2=Newcomb |first2=M. |last3=Flath |first3=K. |last4=Sommerfeldt-Impe |first4=N. |last5=Szabo |first5=L. J. |last6=Carter |first6=M. |last7=Luster |first7=D. G. |last8=Jin |first8=Y. |date=2017 |title=Characterization of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici isolates derived from an unusual wheat stem rust outbreak in Germany in 2013 |url=https://bsppjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ppa.12674 |journal=Plant Pathology |language=en |volume=66 |issue=8 |pages=1258–1266 |doi=10.1111/ppa.12674 |issn=1365-3059}}</ref> Another devastating fungal pathogen is ''[[Sarocladium oryzae]]'', which is a type of sheath rot fungus prevalent in [[India]] and is a great threat to [[History of rice cultivation|rice cultivation]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mehta |first1=Amritpal |last2=Singh |first2=S. K. |last3=Wani |first3=Owais Ali |last4=Ahanger |first4=Shafat Ahmad |last5=Basu |first5=Umer |last6=Vaid |first6=Amrish |last7=Sharma |first7=Sonali |last8=Basandrai |first8=Ashwani Kumar |date=March 2023 |title=Effect of abiotic factors on progress and severity of sheath rot ( Sarocladium oryzae ) in rice |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jph.13183 |journal=Journal of Phytopathology |language=en |volume=171 |issue=7–8 |pages=300–319 |doi=10.1111/jph.13183 |issn=0931-1785}}</ref> Historically, one of the more well-known cases of plant-fungal pandemics was the potato blight of Ireland, which was caused by a [[water mold]] known as ''[[Phytophthora infestans]]''. This event is known as the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine of Ireland]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Goss |first1=Erica M. |last2=Cardenas |first2=Martha E. |last3=Myers |first3=Kevin |last4=Forbes |first4=Gregory A. |last5=Fry |first5=William E. |last6=Restrepo |first6=Silvia |author-link6=Silvia Restrepo|last7=Grünwald |first7=Niklaus J. |date=2011-09-16 |editor-last=Allodi |editor-first=Silvana |title=The Plant Pathogen Phytophthora andina Emerged via Hybridization of an Unknown Phytophthora Species and the Irish Potato Famine Pathogen, P. infestans |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=6 |issue=9 |pages=e24543 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0024543 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=3174952 |pmid=21949727|bibcode=2011PLoSO...624543G }}</ref>

==Mycology and drug discovery==
{{main|Medicinal fungi}}
For centuries, certain mushrooms have been documented as a [[Traditional medicine|folk medicine]] in [[China]], [[Japan]], and [[Russia]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sullivan |first=Richard |url=https://www.academia.edu/305933 |title=Medicinal Mushrooms: Their therapeutic properties and current medical usage with special emphasis on cancer treatments |pages=5 |access-date=2024-06-12 |archive-date=2023-07-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729195103/https://www.academia.edu/305933/Medicinal_Mushrooms_Their_therapeutic_properties_and_current_medical_usage_with_special_emphasis_on_cancer_treatments |url-status=live }}</ref> Although the use of mushrooms in folk medicine is centered largely on the Asian continent, people in other parts of the world like the [[Middle East]], [[Poland]], and [[Belarus]] have been documented using mushrooms for medicinal purposes.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shashkina |first1=M. Ya. |last2=Shashkin |first2=P. N. |last3=Sergeev |first3=A. V. |title=Chemical and medicobiological properties of chaga (review) |journal=Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal |date=October 2006 |volume=40 |issue=10 |pages=560–568 |doi=10.1007/s11094-006-0194-4 }}</ref>

Mushrooms produce large amounts of [[vitamin D]] when exposed to [[Ultraviolet|ultraviolet (UV) light]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Cardwell G, Bornman JF, James AP, Black LJ | title = A Review of Mushrooms as a Potential Source of Dietary Vitamin D | journal = Nutrients | volume = 10 | issue = 10 | page = 1498 | date = October 2018 | pmid = 30322118 | pmc = 6213178 | doi = 10.3390/nu10101498 | doi-access = free }}</ref> [[Penicillin]], [[ciclosporin]], [[griseofulvin]], [[cephalosporin]] and [[psilocybin]] are examples of drugs that have been isolated from [[Mold (fungus)|mold]]s or other fungi.<ref>Hyde, K.D., Baldrian, P., Chen, Y. et al (2024). "Current trends, limitations and future research in the fungi?." Fungal Diversity. 125: 1–71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-023-00532-5</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Fungi}}
* [[Ethnomycology]]
* [[Glossary of mycology]]
* [[Fungal biochemical test]]
* [[List of mycologists]]
* [[List of mycology journals]]
* [[Marine fungi]]
* [[Mushroom hunting]]
* [[Mycotoxicology]]
* [[Pathogenic fungi]]
* [[Protistology]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Cited literature ===
* {{cite book |last1=Ainsworth |first1=G. C. |title=Introduction to the History of Mycology |date=1976 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-21013-3 }}

==External links==
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*Professional organizations
**[[British Mycological Society|BMS]]: [http://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/ British Mycological Society] (United Kingdom)
**[[Mycological Society of America|MSA]]: [http://www.msafungi.org Mycological Society of America] (North America)
*Amateur organizations
**[[Mycological Society of San Francisco|MSSF]]: [http://www.mssf.org/ Mycological Society of San Francisco]
**[http://namyco.org/clubs/index.html North American Mycological Association] (list of amateur organizations in North America)
**[http://psms.org/ Puget Sound Mycological Society]
**[http://www.wildmushrooms.org/ Oregon Mycological Society]
**[[Illinois Mycological Association|IMA]] [http://www.illinoismyco.org/ Illinois Mycological Association]
*Miscellaneous links
**[https://web.archive.org/web/20080509061914/http://media.med.sc.edu/microbiology2007/ Online lectures in mycology] University of South Carolina
**[http://mycology.cornell.edu/ The WWW Virtual Library: Mycology]
**[https://web.archive.org/web/20060114142535/http://www.mykoweb.com/links.html MykoWeb links page]
**[http://www.mushroomthejournal.com/greatlakesdata/Terms/TermsFrame.html Mycological Glossary at the Illinois Mycological Association]
**[http://www.fungimag.com/ FUNGI Magazine] for professionals and amateurs – largest circulating U.S. publication concerning all things mycological
**[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928010349/http://129.215.156.68/index.html Fungal Cell Biology Group] at University of Edinburgh, UK.
**[http://exhibits.mannlib.cornell.edu/mycological/ Mycological Marvels] Cornell University, Mann Library

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[[Category:Mycology| ]]
[[Category:Branches of biology]]