David S. Hibbett talks with
ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about
this month's New Hot Paper in the field of Plant &
Animal Science.
Article Title: A higher-level phylogenetic
classification of the Fungi
Authors: Hibbett,
DS,et al.
Journal: MYCOL RES
Volume: 111
Issue:
Page: :509-547
Year: Part 5 MAY 2007
* Clark Univ, Dept Biol, Worcester, MA 01610 USA.
* Clark Univ, Dept Biol, Worcester, MA 01610 USA.
* Natl Ctr Biotechnol Informat, Natl Lib Med, Bethesda, MD
20892 USA.
* Louisiana State Univ, Dept Biol Sci, Baton Rouge, LA
70803 USA.
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
This article presented a comprehensive classification of the Fungi, based
on recent molecular evolutionary studies. The article had over 60 authors,
representing 13 nations. This paper is being cited because 1) Fungi
represent a huge and tremendously important group of organisms, which
impact human affairs through their activities as pathogens, decayers, and
beneficial symbionts; 2) This classification impacts all disciplines that
are concerned with fungal biology, because it affects the names that are
applied to the major groups of Fungi; 3) The classification also embodies
the tremendous progress that has been made in understanding the
evolutionary history of Fungi, principally through analysis of molecular
data.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
The classification itself is a synthesis of results from many individual
studies. However, the process of assembling the classification represented
a new way of working for fungal taxonomists. This was a multi-year effort,
requiring coordination among many individual researchers and several
different organizations that have independently presented comprehensive
classifications for Fungi in the past, such as
GenBankIndex Fungorum, and the
Tree of Life Web Project.
"This project grew out of two
community-based efforts supported by the
United States National Science
Foundation..."
As a result of this work, each of these groups is presently using the same
higher-level classification for Fungi, which will be of benefit not only to
fungal biologists but also students, teachers, and applied scientists
(e.g., fermentation biologists, plant pathologists,
biofuel developers, medical
mycologists, etc.).
Would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman's terms?
This paper presents a major new classification of the Fungi, based on
recent evolutionary studies using DNA sequences. Fungi are of profound
importance to humans, because they cause diseases (in plants and animals),
produce food (including fermented foods), decay wood and other materials,
and are used in biofuel production and many other biotechnological
applications. It is important that fungal biologists and applied scientists
be able to communicate with precision about the organisms with which they
work.
Classifications enable precise communication because they provide a uniform
set of names for groups of organisms. Classifications are also important
because they represent our understanding of the history of life. Biological
classifications contain nested sets of named groups, each of which is
thought to represent a single and complete branch of the tree of life, also
called a clade. Thus, the evolutionary history of life, which consists of
nested clades forming a tree, is embodied in the nested set of names in a
classification. We were able to construct this classification because of
the tremendous progress in reconstructing fungal evolutionary relationships
that has resulted from the work of many individual research groups.
How did you become involved in this research, and
were there any problems along the way?
This project grew out of two community-based efforts supported by the
United States National Science Foundation, including the
"Deep Hypha" Research Coordination Network, which
provided a forum for fungal evolutionary biologists from 2001 to 2006,
and the Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life (AFTOL) project,
which is an ongoing project that involves collaborative research on
fungal phylogenetics in multiple laboratories. There were surprisingly
few problems in constructing the "AFTOL classification." All the
scientists involved recognized the benefit and timeliness of the
project, and worked cooperatively to construct the classification.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
The AFTOL classification is not fully resolved, which reflects the limits
in understanding of fungal phylogeny. Some of the most problematical
aspects concern the earliest branching events in the evolution of the
Fungi. Reconstructing the pattern of branching at the base of the tree is
important for understanding events such as the colonization of the land by
fungi and the evolution of filamentous growth. The ongoing AFTOL project
aims to resolve some of these (and other) problems, using datasets
containing many gene sequences.
Do you foresee any social or political implications
for your research?
I believe that this work does have social and political implications, but
they are indirect. Our classification will facilitate all fields of
research that involve fungi. Therefore, our classification will have social
impact, to the extent that fungal biology impacts human affairs.
Considering the importance of fungi in health and agriculture, I would
venture that our classification will indeed benefit society.
David S. Hibbett
Professor
Biology Department
Clark University
Worcester, MA, USA Web
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Keywords: fungi, comprehensive classification, recent
evolutionary studies using dna sequences, fungal biology, the
evolutionary history of fungi, analysis of molecular data, fungal
taxonomists, fungal biologists, genbank, index fungorum, the tree of
life web project, "deep hypha" research coordination network, assembling
the fungal tree of life project, fermentation biologists, plant
pathologists, biofuel developers, medical mycologists.