Mycology (from the
Greek µ????, meaning "fungus") is the branch of
biology concerned with the study of
fungi, including their
genetic and
biochemical properties, their
taxonomy, and
their use to humans as a source for
tinder,
medicinals (e.g.,
penicillin), food (e.g.,
beer,
wine,
cheese,
edible mushrooms) and
entheogens, as well as their dangers, such as
poisoning or
infection.
From mycology arose the field of phytopathology, the study of plant diseases, and the two disciplines remain closely related because the vast majority of plant pathogens are fungi. A biologist who studies mycology is called a mycologist.
Historically, mycology was a branch of botany (fungi are evolutionarily more closely related to animals than to plants but this was not recognized until a few decades ago). Pioneer mycologists included Elias Magnus Fries, Christian Hendrik Persoon, Anton de Bary and Lewis David von Schweinitz.
Today, the most comprehensively studied and understood fungi are the yeasts and eukaryotic model organisms Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
