KERN: TAXONOMY OF THE FUNGI 69 



study of fungi. As life-histories were important for taxonomic considerations 

 so nuclear developments were eventually recognized as having a bearing on 

 taxonomy. The application of cytological methods to the study of life-histories 

 in the fungi began with the work of Dangeard in 1894 and was soon under 

 way on a large scale. Other early workers in this field were Poirault, Sappin- 

 Trouffy, Maire, Harper, Blackman, and Christman. It was soon evident that 

 the nature of sexual reproduction in the fungi was of great value in determin- 

 ing relationships. We are indebted to such a host of investigators that it is 

 impossible to mention them by name. Notable studies have been made in the 

 Phycomycetes, Ascomycetes, Ustilaginales, Uredinales, and higher Basidio- 

 mycetes. In the last few years genetical studies have been made and highly 

 important results are in the making. 



Our account would not be complete if we did not make some reference to 

 the possibility that the classification of the future may have a physiological 

 basis. Much headway toward such a goal has been made by Mez and his asso- 

 ciates. Many of you are familiar with the fact that Mez, using serological 

 methods, has constructed a family tree of plants which corroborates in a 

 remarkable manner the older tree based on morphological characters. Seifriz 

 refers to this work in a recent book- (The Physiology of Plants, 1938) with the 

 remark, "It is of great significance to the field of evolution and phylogenetic 

 relationship that a purely chemical basis of classification should so well sup- 

 port a purely anatomical one." Seifriz points out that the relationships between 

 plants established thus far by serology hold well for families, not so well for 

 genera, and not at all for species. He believes, however, that this is due to a 

 lack of delicacy in technique. He is of the opinion species differences in proteins 

 must also exist. 



Our historical sketch which began with the early attempts to classify fungi 

 led us rather inevitably to some consideration of morphological, cytological, 

 genetical, and physiological studies. Certainly we must agree that knowledge 

 gained in all these fields is essential for progress in taxonomy. E. A. Bessey in 

 1939 (A Textbook of Mycology) refers to the present-day activity of sys- 

 tematic mycologists and points out that, "Life histories are being studied in 

 all groups, the sexual relations are being scrutinized from the lowest to the 

 highest fungi and genetical studies are revealing results somewhat paralleF, 

 but on a vastly smaller scale as yet, to those attained by the study of Zea mays 

 and Drosophila." "As never before," says Bessey, "is a knowledge of fungi 

 themselves so necessary." Obviously right conceptions of. fungi must be based 

 upon many facts, and wrong conceptions can easily be the result of partial facts, 

 and of ideas derived from other plants which may be inapplicable and mis- 

 leading. 



We have referred to the contribution which Darwin's theory of evolution 



