Chapter 3. Defining Species in the Fungi

The species concept is central to biology and has received considerable debate, yet a universal definition of a species has not found widespread agreement. Much of the discussion has centered on animals and plants, while mycologists and their organisms have generally been peripheral to the debate. A recent symposium dedicated to species concepts in clonal organisms (Mishler and Budd, 1990) did not include the fungi, though they probably have more apomictic taxa than any other major group of organisms (Blackwell, 1993). Inclusion of the fungal kingdom, with its broad array of reproductive strategies, may complicate the debate, but new insights could be gained by using fungal models. This chapter attempts to bring fungi into the debate and aims to arrive at a workable definition for fungal species.