Abstract
Extensive adaptability and diversity in fungi, even among closely related species, enable them to occupy various ecological niches. Of particular importance for niche adaptation is the production of fungal secondary metabolites (SM) because they can offer a distinct selective advantage in specific environments. This chapter explores two examples of SM clusters: aflatoxin-like gene clusters in fungi such as Aspergillus flavus and ACE1 gene clusters that were originally described in Magnaporthe oryzae. Both clusters occur in different classes of fungi, and a heterogeneous collection of gene clusters in related and more distant fungal taxa can help explain the evolutionary processes that led to their formation, maintenance, and inactivation/loss. Together, they illustrate the interplay of recombination and horizontal gene transfer (HGT), as well as other genomic modifications that can impact SM biosynthetic pathways in fungi. This edition first published 2014
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