Lectures: Monday 9:40-10:30; Wednesday 9:40-10:30,
10:40-11:30
Laboratory: Wednesday11:40-3:00
LSB 308
Cathie Aime
Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology
LSB 455
225-578-1383
[email protected]
Meredith Blackwell
Department of Biological Sciences
LSB 386
225-578-8551
[email protected]
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.
Syllabus for Introductory Mycology (BIOL/PLHL 4054)
Lecture: Monday 9:40-10:30; Wednesday 9:40-10:30, 10:40-11:30
Laboratory: Wednesday11:40-3:00
LSB 308
Lecture Topic (text readings)
25 Aug
Introduction: Overview of Fungi, really current
fungal classification, and fungus-like organisms
(Chapters 1-3) (see Table 1), internet resources
27 Aug
Slime molds I: Myxomycetes and more
Myxomycetes, the plasmiodial slime molds
(Chapter 29)
01 Sep
Labor Day
Laboratory Topic
Fungus-like organisms: Slime molds
(streaming plasmodia and gleaming
sporangia); using a key; moist chambers
and baits for fungi
03 Sep
Slime molds II: Cellular slime molds, other slime Fungus-like organisms: Water molds and
molds, interactions (Table 2) (Chapters 26-28)
checking out moist chambers
08 Sep
Diploid zoosporic 'fungi' I: Oomycetes: Gametic
meiosis (Table 1) (Chapter 23)
10 Sep
Diploid zoosporic 'fungi' II: Oomycetes in the
environment;
Oomycetes as plant pathogens
15 Sep
Haploid zoosporic fungi and dead frogs:
Chytridiomycota; Neocallimastigales;
Blastocladiomycota (Chapter 4)
17 Sep
Zygomycota I: Mucoromycotina (Chapter 5)
22 Sep
Zygomyceta II: Septate 'zygomycetes' and
Trichomycetes (excellent free online book!)
24 Sep
Zygomycota III: Arthropod and fungal associates; Insect fungi; AM fungi; moist chamber and
Glomeromycota (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi)
culture work
(Chapter 6)
29 Sep
Exam 1 (through Zygomycetes)
01 SepOct Ascomycota I: Introduction to Ascomycota
(Chapter 7); asexual reproduction, [anamorph
and teleomorph database] (Chapter 8)
06 Sep
Ascomycetes as plant parasites and endophytes
08 Oct
Fall holiday
13 Oct
Ascomycetes II: Taphrinomycotina; ascomycete
yeasts: Saccharomycotina (Chapters 9, 10)
More flagellated cells; chytrids; Allomyces:
a different fungal life cycle (sporic meiosis);
moist chambers again
Zygomycetes
Conidia from the air, soil, and water
xxx
15 Oct
Ascomycetes III: Pezizomycotina:
Orbiliomycetes, Pezizomycetes (Chapter 13)
Ascomycetes from wood and soil
20 Oct
Ascomycetes IV: Pezizomycotina:
Dothidiomycetes, Arthoniomycetes (Chapter 14)
22 Oct
Ascomycetes V: Pezizomycotina:
Eurotiomycetes (Chapter 11),
Laboulbeniomycetes, others (Chapter 15)
27 Oct
Ascomycetes VI: Pezizomycotina:
Sordariomycetes (Xylariales and others)
(Chapter 12)
29 Oct
Ascomycetes VII: Pezizomycotina:
Leotiomycetes; lichen-forming ascomycetes
(Chapter 13)
03 Nov
Exam 2 (through Ascomycetes)
05 Nov
Basidiomycota I: Introduction to the
Basidiomycete life cycles; isolation of
Basidiomycota; sexual and somatic compatibility spores and mating type determination
(Chapter 16)
10 Nov
Basidiomycetes II: Smut fungi
(Ustilaginomycotina) (Chapter 21)
12 Nov
Basidiomycetes III: Rust fungi
(Pucciniomycotina) and related forms plus
(Chapters 20, 22)
17 Nov
Basidiomycetes IV: Agaricomycotina;
Ascomycetes from dung
Interactions of fungi and other organisms
Purification and identification of cultures;
basidiomycetes on view
mycorrhizae (Chapter 17)
19 Nov
Basidiomycetes V: Agaricomycetes: Agaricales
(Chapter 17)
24 Nov
Basidiomycetes VI: Agaricomycotina: Polypores
and corticioid fungi plus (Chapter 19)
26 Nov
Thanksgiving holiday
01 Dec
Basidiomycetes VII: Agaricomycotina: Jellies,
corals, ears, stinkhorns, and other fun forms
(Chapters 19, 22)
03 Dec
Fungi in perspective; review
11 Dec
Exam 3 and Cumulative Final Exam
(Thursday, 7:30-9:30)
Basidiomycetes: below ground and above;
Collections due
xxx
Basidiomycete plant pathogens
Introductory Mycology - GENERAL INFORMATION
Grades will be determined on the basis of:
Exam 1
Exam 2
Final Exam
Laboratory
100 points
100 points
100 points
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
Exam 2
Exam 3 and Final
29 September
03 November
11 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
•
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 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:
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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.