Authors
Javier Diéguez-Uribeondo Biologist, Advanced Scientific Research Council of Spain, Royal Botanical Garden, Madrid, Spain.
Lenyn Betancourt C. Specialist in Tropical Areas Biodiversity and Conservation, Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.
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Water Molds
The name Oomycota is a combination of the Greek name for “egg” and “fungus” because many species have egg-shaped spores.
Many live in humid or aquatic environments and a common name for this group of organisms is therfore water molds.
Despite their name, the Oomycota are not related to the true fungi, but form a distinct phylogenetic group of microorganisms that grow in long filaments of cells.
Like true fungi, they are also heterotrophic, absorptive organisms.
Most species are sapropes (organisms feeding on organic mater) or pathogens, perhaps best known for such devastating diseases as the potato blight, a water mold infecting potatoes and responsible for the great Irish potato famine in 1845-46 that indirectly caused the death of more than 1 million people from starvation.
In Galapagos, water molds remain virtually unknown with the current checklist including only two species.
Authors: Javier Diéguez-Uribeondo, Lenyn Betancourt C..
Other Contributors: Franklin Arboleda, Paul Cannon.
Names of taxa included: 2 total (1 accepted, 1 preliminary identification).
Origin of the taxa included: 1 cultivated.
Oomycota Species Checklist
Domain Eukaryota
Kingdom Chromalveolata
Division Oomycota
Class Oomycetes
Order Perenosporales
Family Perenosporaceae
Genus Pseudoperonospora
Order Saprolegniales
Family Saprolegniaceae
Genus Saprolegnia
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