mycology Fall 2000

Introductory Mycology (BIOL/PLHL 4054) - FALL 2009

Lectures: Monday 9:40-10:30; Wednesday 9:40-10:30, 11:40-12:30
Laboratory: Wednesday 12:40-3:00
LSB 308

Cathie Aime
Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology
LSB 455
225-578-1383
MAime@agcenter.lsu.edu

Meredith Blackwell
Department of Biological Sciences
LSB 386
225-578-8551
MBlackwell@lsu.edu

GRADUATE ASSISTANT
Stephanie Gross
LSB 386
225-578-8562
SGross2@tigers.lsu.edu

OFFICE HOURS: almost anytime, but please make an appointment

Texts:
Alexopoulos, C. J., C. W. Mims, and M. Blackwell. 1996. Introductory Mycology. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 869p.
Mycologia 98(6) --You check out a copy of the journal for assigned class readings.

Fungi modify our environment by performing important functions, especially those associated with their ability to metabolize a wide variety of carbohydrates and in providing nutrients to the organisms with which they interact. During the course you will 1) learn of the activities of fungi and their importance in making life on Earth possible, 2) collect and identify fungi from their natural habitats , and 3) observe fungi under the microscope in the laboratory.

From left to right : Fig. 1. Individual of Chytridium (Chytridiomycota) growing on a single pine pollen grain. Successive photos show zoospore release from the sporangium, and the arrow points to a flagellum. Copyright © H. Whisler, M. Fuller 1996. Fig. 2. Black sporangium atop swollen sporangiophore of Pilobolus (Zygomycota). Shortly, the swollen subsporangial vesicle will burst to send the sporangium flying. Herbivores eat the sporangium, and the enclosed mitospores germinate in the dung. The bright yellow carotenoid pigment enables the sporangium to orient to light (phototropism). If you look closely, you can see masses of nematodes on the vesicle; probably herbivore pathogens hoping to hitch a ride. Copyright © M. Blackwell 1996. Fig. 3. Fruiting body of Scarcoscypha coccinea, the scarlet cup fungus (Ascomycota). Hundreds of millions of meiospores (ascospores) are discharged from this cup, usually in puffs that produce visible clouds of spores. Copyright © J. Spatafora 1996. Fig. 4. Massed fruiting bodies of Laetiporus sulphureus,the chicken-of-the-woods (Basidiomycota). The tiny tubular filaments (hyphae) that make the body of this fungus (mycelium) are growing in the old, dead wood of a large cherry tree. Laetiporusis not a parasite, but the decay may weaken the tree so much that wind or ice storms can topple it. Copyright © M. Blackwell 1996. From Fungi in the Tree of Life by Meredith Blackwell, Rytas Vilgalys, John W. Taylor, and Timothy Y. James.

Syllabus for Introductory Mycology (BIOL/PLHL 4054) -Fall 2009 Lecture: Monday 9:40-10:30; Wednesday 9:40-10:30, 10:40-11:30 Laboratory: Wednesday11:40-2:30 LSB 308

	Lecture Topic (text readings)	Laboratory Topic
24 Aug	Introduction: Overview of Fungi, handout from Current Biology, AFTOL classification publication (pdf), and fungus-like organisms (Chapters 1-3) (see Table 1), Mycologia 98(6), p. 829-837.
26 Aug	Slime molds I: Myxomycetes and more Myxomycetes, the plasmiodial slime molds (Chapter 29)	Fungus-like organisms: Slime molds (streaming plasmodia and gleaming sporangia); using a key; moist chambers and baits for fungi
31 Aug	Slime molds II: Cellular slime molds, other slime molds, interactions (Table 2) (Chapters 26-28)
02 Sep	Diploid zoosporic 'fungi' I: Oomycota: Gametic meiosis (Table 1) (Chapter 23)	Flagellated cells: a life cycle like yours with gametic meiosis; moist chambers
07 Sep	Labor Day
09 Sep	Diploid zoosporic 'fungi' II: Oomycota in the environment; Oomycota as plant pathogens	Flagellated cells; chytrids with zygotic meiosis; Allomyces: a different fungal life cycle (sporic meiosis); moist chambers again
14 Sep	Haploid zoosporic fungi: Chytridiomycota; Neocallimastigales; Blastocladiomycota (Chapter 4), Mycologia 98(6), p. 860-871.
16 Sep	What about a haploid zoosporic fungus and dead frogs?	Zygomycetes: Where has all the Lobosporangium gone? Review of chytrid material
21 Sep	Zygomycota I: Mucoromycotina (Chapter 5); the sugar fungi, Mycologia 98(6), p. 872-884.
23 Sep	Zygomycota II: Septate, interactive 'zygomycetes' including two orders of "Trichomycetes" (excellent free online book!)	Insect fungi; AM fungi; moist chamber and culture work
28 Sep	Zygomycota III: Arthropod and fungal associates: Entomophthorales Glomeromycota (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) (Chapter 6), Mycologia 98(6), p. 885-895.
30 Sep	Exam 1 (through Zygomycetes)	Conidia from the air, soil, and water --and air conditioning vents
05 Oct	Ascomycota I: Introduction to Ascomycota (Chapter 7); asexual reproduction, [anamorph and teleomorph database] (Chapter 8)
07 Sep	Ascomycetes II: Taphrinomycotina; ascomycete yeasts: Saccharomycotina (Chapters 9, 10), Mycologia 98(6), p. 996-1005; 1006-1017.	Ascomycetes from wood and soil
12 Oct	And more ascomycete yeasts in your environment: Saccharomycotina
14 Oct	Ascomycetes III: Pezizomycotina: Orbiliomycetes, Pezizomycetes (Chapter 13); ascomycetes as endophytes; Mycologia 98(6), p. 1018-1028; 1029-1040.	Ascomycetes from dung
19 Oct	Ascomycetes IV: Pezizomycotina: Dothidiomycetes, Arthoniomycetes (Chapter 14); ascomycetes as plant parasites and endophytes; Mycologia 98(6), p. 1041-1052.
21 Oct	Ascomycetes V: Pezizomycotina: Eurotiomycetes (Chapter 11), Laboulbeniomycetes, others (Chapter 15); Mycologia 98(6), p. 1053-1064.	Interactions of fungi and other organisms
26 Oct	Ascomycetes VI: Pezizomycotina: Sordariomycetes (Xylariales and others) (Chapter 12); Mycologia 98(6), p. 1076-1087.
28 Oct	Ascomycetes VII: Pezizomycotina: Leotiomycetes; lichen-forming ascomycetes (Chapter 13); Mycologia 98(6), p. 1065-1075; 1088-1103	Identification
02 Nov	Exam 2 (through Ascomycetes)
04 Nov	Basidiomycota I: Introduction to the Basidiomycota; sexual and somatic compatibility (Chapter 16).	Basidiomycete life cycles; isolation of spores and mating type determination
09 Nov	Basidiomycetes II: Smut fungi (Ustilaginomycotina) (Chapter 21); Mycologia 98(6), p. 906-916.
11 Nov	Basidiomycetes III: Rust fungi (Pucciniomycotina) and related forms plus (Chapters 20, 22); Mycologia 98(6), p. 896-905.	Purification and identification of cultures; basidiomycetes on view
16 Nov	Basidiomycetes IV: Agaricomycotina; mycorrhizae (Chapter 17); Mycologia 98(6); p. 917-925; 971-981.
18 Nov	Basidiomycetes V: Agaricomycetes: Agaricales and Boletales(Chapter 17); Mycologia 98(6), p. 982-995.	Basidiomycetes: below ground and above; Collections due
23 Nov	Basidiomycetes VI: Agaricomycotina: Polypores and corticioid fungi plus (Chapter 19); Mycologia 98(6), p.926-936
25 Nov	Basidiomycetes VII: Agaricomycotina: Jellies, corals, ears, stinkhorns, and other fun forms (Chapters 19, 22); Mycologia 98(6), p. 937-948; 949-959.	No laboratory (Thanksgiving begins at 12:30 PM)
30 Nov	Basidiomycetes VIII: catch up. Collections due by 5:00
02 Dec	Fungi in perspective; review	Basidiomycete plant pathogens
07 Dec	Exam 3 and Cumulative Final Exam (Monday, 3:00-5:00)

Introductory Mycology - GENERAL INFORMATION

Grades will be determined on the basis of:

Exam 1 100 points

Exam 2 100 points

Final Exam 100 points

Laboratory 100 points (see below)

Total 400 points

The final letter grade for the course will be based on the following scale:

90-100% = A

80-89 = B

70-79 = C

60-69 = D

Below 60% = F

Your letter grade will not be lower than stated in this scale, but you may do better IF grades are curved
Lecture exams are scheduled as follows:

Exam 1 29 September

Exam 2 03 November

Exam 3 and Final 07 December

Lecture exams will include questions from the laboratory material for the appropriate section

The laboratory grade will be based on the following:
Collections: 100 pts; no more than one specimen from each genus; due date 30 November (firm)

Field collection (number of specimens identified to genus):

Ascomycetes (4)
Basidiomycetes (4)
Myxomycetes (2) can be moist chamber developments from collected substrates

Culture collection (number of cultures identified to genus):

Sexual or asexual ascomycete (5)
Zygomycetes (2)
Basidiomycetes (3)

You will need to use the Internet and to check your official LSU mail address for messages. Computers with Internet Access are located in the lobby of the Life Sciences Building and in Middleton Library.

FungalFAX:

A species of Pythium made headlines on sports pages across the United States because it ruined the greens at the U.S. National Golf Tournament 6 August 1987. They had been watered with untreated lake water.
The presence of wheat rust in the southern United States caused 18th Century colonists to rely on bread made from corn, a food that is to this day traditional in the region.
Gingerbread was invented by a baker who used molassas and ginger to disguise the dark color and fishy odor of wheat infected by stinking smut.
The British coffee house tradition was hastened because of the high cost of coffee due to the coffee rust fungus that struck the coffee-growing regions of southeastern Asia.
Frog deaths and extinctions are due to a chytrid, a microscopic aquatic fungus.
Fungal friuiting bodies such as mushrooms are the home for many insects that only recently have been discovered to have minute fungi called yeasts in their gut.

Last Modified: 23 August 2009
Maintained by Meredith Blackwell
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