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Systematics of Plant Pathogenic Fungi: Why It Matters

Systematics is the study of biological diversity; it is the science that discovers, describes, and classifies all organisms and includes taxonomy, nomenclature, and phylogeny. Scientific names accurately define a set of organisms and are used to communicate about them. As systematic scientists learn more about species, scientific names change to reflect this increased knowledge. Accurately named and precisely defined species reflect what is known about their biology, host range, and geographic distribution. Online resources are available to help users determine the accepted scientific name of fungal plant pathogens. Recent advances in the systematics of fungi are discussed, including the knowledge that: (i) true Fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants; and (ii) the Oomycetes are not true Fungi; rather they are closely related to the yellow-brown algae, known as stramenopiles or Kingdom Chromista. Using molecular data, the higher level classification of true Fungi is more precisely defined, as are fungal genera and species. In addition, the asexually reproducing fungi that constitute a majority of plant-associated fungi are being integrated into the phylogeny of the Ascomycota. The importance of documenting research on plant pathogens by depositing cultures in culture collections and voucher specimens in herbaria is emphasized.