9632880 Christensen In comparison with plants and animals, fungi are poorly known and little studied. Taxonomic or systematic organization of our knowledge of fungal diversity is still rudimentary for many groups, one of the more conspicuous being the genus Penicillium, the source from some of its species of the first penicillin antibiotics. Recent taxonomic monographs have varied greatly in recognizing from 97 to 227 species of Penicillium in the world, most of which inhabit soil or plant and animal debris. This taxonomic disarray impedes other important studies in ecology, molecular biology, and evolution of these fungi. Dr. Martha Christensen of the University of Wyoming, in collaboration with Dr. Jens Frisvad in Denmark, is studying the morphology, secondary metabolite chemistry, and growth features of several hundred laboratory-grown isolates of Penicillium, collected from throughout the world. Morphological studies of hyphae, spores, and spore-bearing (conidial) structures, of numerous isolates, will assess the variability and reliability of key diagnostic features used to identify Penicillium to species. Chromatographic analyses for secondary metabolites will yield new characters to supplement traditional morphological features in constructing coherent assemblages of similar forms, that operationally qualify as species in these asexually reproducing organisms. Species-level descriptions with notes on habitat and geographical distribution, keys for identification, and illustrations of micromorphological features will be brought together in taxonomic monographs as part of the research. The biodiversity of soil organisms remains poorly studied, yet ecological and taxonomic investigations affirm the high numbers of species and their importance in nutrient cycling and other functions. Focusing on one major fungal genus of soil organisms, Penicillium, this work will lead to improved taxonomic recognition of species and thus facilitate ecological and evolutionary studies as well as pharmace utical bioprospecting.
