ABSTRACT
Genome analysis of fungi nds its foundational origins in the chromosome theory of biology. This theory was inherently observational and stated that inherited characteristics can be evaluated in terms of the presence or absence of chromosomes. It was based on the observation that traits on nonhomologous chromosomes assort independently [1]. At the time of these analyses, traits were being evaluated in terms of genetics for many organisms in addition to fungi. For some, such as bacteria and phages, the chromosome theory was not equivalent, but rather complementary. For most organisms, the traits that could be followed were physiological or morphological and included auxotrophies, temperature sensitivity, growth rate, and colony or cellular morphology [2]. The technology to study fungal genomes has changed over many years, and the information available from each technique is dependent on the resolving power (Table 7.1) and varies from a few data points per strain to millions.
