ABSTRACT
Handedness, spirality, and chirality have been common phenomena in plants and animals although not well-documented in fungi. Asymmetric movement has been observed in myxomycetes; spiral growth in Phycomyces sp. has been a common phenomenon. Similarly in artificial culturing of fungi on agar media, spiral growth of filamentous fungi has been encountered. The chitin fibrils in the fungal cell wall also show helical patterns. A number of conidial fungi, ascomycetous fungi, and zoosporic fungi exhibit left- and right-handedness during their growth. Among the pycnidial fungi such as Hobsonia, Pestalatiopsis, and few others, left- and right-handedness has been noticed in their appendages. The present chapter reviews the present status of handedness in fungi and provides new information on this aspect.
