Mucoromycotina
A paraphyletic fungal subphylum of uncertain placement within Mucoromycota.
Mucoromycotina is a subphylum of fungi of uncertain placement within Mucoromycota, currently considered a paraphyletic grouping. It was originally part of the phylum Zygomycota, but phylogenetic studies showed that group to be polyphyletic, leading to its split proposed in 2007 by Hibbett et al. According to Tedersoo et al. 2018, Mucoromycota includes Mucoromycotina, Glomeromycotina, and Mortierellomycotina. Mucoromycotina itself is placed incertae sedis within Mucoromycota and includes diverse molds such as the common bread molds Mucor and Rhizopus. Its exact location within Fungi remains unknown, and it is not placed alongside Zoopagomycota, Entomophthoromycota, or Kickxellomycotina (the latter is a subphylum within Zoopagomycota).
- classification
- Subphylum incertae sedis in Mucoromycota
- orders
- 2 (Endogonales, Mucorales)
- genera
- 61
- species
- 325
- common_characteristics
- Coenocytic mycelium, saprotrophic lifestyles, filamentous
- sister_group
- Dikarya (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota)
Lore & Background
Mucoromycotina was originally part of the phylum Zygomycota, a classification based on physiological characteristics with little genetic support. A major phylogenetic study in 2007 by Hibbett et al. showed that further classification was possible, splitting Zygomycota into several groups. Mucoromycotina is now placed incertae sedis within Mucoromycota, which also includes Glomeromycotina and Mortierellomycotina (the latter housing Mortierellales). The subphylum currently comprises two orders: Endogonales and Mucorales. Its exact location within Fungi remains unknown due to difficulty in collecting and growing specimens for genomic testing.
Reader's Guide
Mucoromycotina is significant because it represents a major reclassification of fungi formerly lumped into Zygomycota, highlighting the importance of phylogenetic studies in resolving fungal relationships. Its species exhibit three main lifestyles—saprotrophic, mycorrhizal, and parasitic—affecting ecology, agriculture, and human health. Saprotrophs decompose organic matter, mycorrhizal species form symbioses with plants (including arbuscular mycorrhizae similar to those of Glomeromycota), and parasitic species cause crown rot in crops and zygomycosis in immunocompromised animals. The order Mucorales includes molds that damage stored food and cause mycosis. The genus Endogone in Endogonales stabilizes soil in sand dunes and aids nutrient-poor environments. Phylogenetic studies continue to reassign species between Mucoromycotina and Glomeromycota, and research suggests Mucoromycotina may have been involved in early plant-fungi symbioses during the Paleozoic era. Its uncertain placement and ongoing taxonomic revisions underscore the dynamic nature of fungal systematics.
Did You Know?
- Mucoromycotina is currently composed of 2 orders, 61 genera, and 325 species.
- Species in the genus Endogone produce subterranean sporocarps that are ingested by small mammals attracted by their fetid odor.
- Crown rot caused by Mucorales species can result in crop losses of 0.01 t/ha per unit increase in crown rot index.
More in Fungi And Fungus-Like Organisms 1-24
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