Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Sexual Crosses with the Mucoromycete Phycomyces blakesleeanus
Published on: June 6, 2025
Diversity, ecology, and evolution in Phycomyces
Lola P Camino1, Alexander Idnurm2, Enrique Cerdá-Olmedo1
1Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Sevilla, Apartado 1095, E-41080 Sevilla, Spain.
Abstract:
The fungal genus Phycomyces (Mucoromycotina, Mucorales) has been revised by examining 96 strains, received from established collections or newly isolated from different environments. Morphology, sexuality, DNA sequences, and population structure clearly identify the genus and set it apart from other Mucorales. The size of the spores, the sexual interactions, the sequences of genes sexM and sexP that determine sexual identity, and the DNA for ribosomal RNAs validate the species Phycomyces blakesleeanus and Phycomyces nitens and the family Phycomycetaceae. Isolates from the same sample of biomass often differ in spore size, sex, DNA sequences, and restriction-length polymorphisms. The widest diversity was found in similar environments in three of the Canary Islands, implying a failure to disperse rapidly over the sea. All strains have apparently functional sexM and sexP genes and all but some strains of P. nitens complete the sexual cycle in the laboratory. The genetic diversity of P. blakesleeanus strains provides evidence for geographical clustering. Various sequence comparisons, including the newly isolated genes sexM and sexP of P. nitens and Blakeslea trispora, clarify phylogenetic relationships in the Mucorales and recommend the sex genes for the study of speciation.
More Related Videos
05:39Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Published on: December 2, 2022
14:38Establishment of Microbial Eukaryotic Enrichment Cultures from a Chemically Stratified Antarctic Lake and Assessment of Carbon Fixation Potential
Published on: April 20, 2012
Related Concept Videos
Diversity of Protists I
Diversity of Protists III
Diversity of Protists II
Diversity of Protists IV
Diversity of Archaea II
Overview of Fungi