Sordariales
Encyclopedia
Sordariales are an order
of fungi within the class
Sordariomycetes
(also known as Pyrenomycetes), subphylum Pezizomycotina
, phylum
Ascomycota
.
Most Sordariales are saprobic, producing solitary perithecial ascomata. They are commonly found on dung
or decaying
plant matter.
Sordariales Chadefaud ex D. Hawksworth & O.E. Eriksson, Syst. Ascomycet. (1986) is characterised by superficial ascomata, either perithecial or cleistothecial, non-amyloid and shallow ascal ring, black spores often with a gelatinous sheath or appendages (Lundqvist, 1972; Kirk et al., 2001). Members of this Order can be coprophiliac, fungicolous, herbicolous, lignicolous or soil-inhabiting. According to the recent compilation (Eriksson et al., 2006), the Sordariales contains three accepted families: the Chaetomiaceae, Lasiosphaeriaceae and Sordariaceae.
Historically, up to 14 families have been placed in the Sordariales based on the putative ascomal ontogenetic characters involved in centrum development (Luttrell, 1951). Two of the families (Batistiaceae, Catabotrydaceae) are monotypic, and nine others (Annulatascaceae, Boliniaceae, Cephalothecaceae, Ceratostomataceae, Chaetomiaceae, Coniochaetaceae, Helminthosphaeriaceae, Nitschkiaceae, Sordariaceae) contain fewer than 15 genera each (Eriksson et al., 2003). The Lasiosphaeriaceae is by far the largest and most morphologically diverse family in the Order. 53 genera have been referred to this family (Eriksson & Hawksworth, 1998) but recently it has been redefined and circumscribed with 27 genera (Eriksson, 2006). Sordariaceae, on the other hand, is one of the well-known and best-studied families, as it consists of some notable taxa such as Neurospora crassa and Sordaria fimicola, model organisms that are widely used in molecular and genetic studies (Perkins, 1992; Taylor et al., 1993; Kalogeropoulos & Thuriaux, 2001).
Familial delineation of taxa to Lasiosphaeriaceae and Sordariaceae has been very unclear in the past. Genera within these two classes have been combined under one family (Munk, 1953; Carroll & Munk, 1964; Dennis, 1968), then separated into two families with two subfamilies in Lasiosphaeriaceae (Lundqvist, 1972) or split into a third family, Tripterosporaceae (Cain, 1956; Barr, 1990). This ambiguity is now resolved with molecular phylogenetics. In the recent study by Huhndorf et al. (2004), most of the families that have been previously placed in Sordariales were evaluated. They concluded that the Order is a coherent group with morphologies that vary along well-defined lines, including large ascomata with large-celled membraneous or coriaceous walls and ascospores that show wide variation in the kinds of appendages or sheaths. As a result of their study, only Chaetomiaceae, Lasiosphaeriaceae and Sordariaceae are retained in the Order Sordariales, others including Annulatascaceae, Boliniaceae, Batistiaceae, Catabotrydaceae, Cephalothecaceae, Ceratostomataceae, Chaetomiaceae, Coniochaetaceae, Helminthosphaeriaceae and Nitschkiaceae were either placed into a new Order, in other existing Orders, or in Sordariomyetidae incertae sedis.
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
of fungi within the class
Class (biology)
In biological classification, class is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, order, family, genus, and species, with class fitting between phylum and order...
Sordariomycetes
Sordariomycetes
The Sordariomycetes are a class of fungi in the subdivision Pezizomycotina , consisting of 15 orders, 64 families, 1119 genera, and 10564 species.Sordariomycetes generally produce their asci in perithecial fruiting bodies....
(also known as Pyrenomycetes), subphylum Pezizomycotina
Pezizomycotina
Pezizomycotina contains the filamentous ascomycetes and is a subphylum of the Ascomycota . It is more or less synonymous with the older taxon Euascomycota...
, phylum
Phylum
In biology, a phylum The term was coined by Georges Cuvier from Greek φῦλον phylon, "race, stock," related to φυλή phyle, "tribe, clan." is a taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. "Phylum" is equivalent to the botanical term division....
Ascomycota
Ascomycota
The Ascomycota are a Division/Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the Sac fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species...
.
Most Sordariales are saprobic, producing solitary perithecial ascomata. They are commonly found on dung
Dung
Dung may refer to:* Dung, animal feces* Dung, Doubs, a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France* Mundungus Fletcher or "Dung", a character in the Harry Potter novels* Dung beetle...
or decaying
Decomposition
Decomposition is the process by which organic material is broken down into simpler forms of matter. The process is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biome. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death...
plant matter.
Sordariales Chadefaud ex D. Hawksworth & O.E. Eriksson, Syst. Ascomycet. (1986) is characterised by superficial ascomata, either perithecial or cleistothecial, non-amyloid and shallow ascal ring, black spores often with a gelatinous sheath or appendages (Lundqvist, 1972; Kirk et al., 2001). Members of this Order can be coprophiliac, fungicolous, herbicolous, lignicolous or soil-inhabiting. According to the recent compilation (Eriksson et al., 2006), the Sordariales contains three accepted families: the Chaetomiaceae, Lasiosphaeriaceae and Sordariaceae.
Historically, up to 14 families have been placed in the Sordariales based on the putative ascomal ontogenetic characters involved in centrum development (Luttrell, 1951). Two of the families (Batistiaceae, Catabotrydaceae) are monotypic, and nine others (Annulatascaceae, Boliniaceae, Cephalothecaceae, Ceratostomataceae, Chaetomiaceae, Coniochaetaceae, Helminthosphaeriaceae, Nitschkiaceae, Sordariaceae) contain fewer than 15 genera each (Eriksson et al., 2003). The Lasiosphaeriaceae is by far the largest and most morphologically diverse family in the Order. 53 genera have been referred to this family (Eriksson & Hawksworth, 1998) but recently it has been redefined and circumscribed with 27 genera (Eriksson, 2006). Sordariaceae, on the other hand, is one of the well-known and best-studied families, as it consists of some notable taxa such as Neurospora crassa and Sordaria fimicola, model organisms that are widely used in molecular and genetic studies (Perkins, 1992; Taylor et al., 1993; Kalogeropoulos & Thuriaux, 2001).
Familial delineation of taxa to Lasiosphaeriaceae and Sordariaceae has been very unclear in the past. Genera within these two classes have been combined under one family (Munk, 1953; Carroll & Munk, 1964; Dennis, 1968), then separated into two families with two subfamilies in Lasiosphaeriaceae (Lundqvist, 1972) or split into a third family, Tripterosporaceae (Cain, 1956; Barr, 1990). This ambiguity is now resolved with molecular phylogenetics. In the recent study by Huhndorf et al. (2004), most of the families that have been previously placed in Sordariales were evaluated. They concluded that the Order is a coherent group with morphologies that vary along well-defined lines, including large ascomata with large-celled membraneous or coriaceous walls and ascospores that show wide variation in the kinds of appendages or sheaths. As a result of their study, only Chaetomiaceae, Lasiosphaeriaceae and Sordariaceae are retained in the Order Sordariales, others including Annulatascaceae, Boliniaceae, Batistiaceae, Catabotrydaceae, Cephalothecaceae, Ceratostomataceae, Chaetomiaceae, Coniochaetaceae, Helminthosphaeriaceae and Nitschkiaceae were either placed into a new Order, in other existing Orders, or in Sordariomyetidae incertae sedis.