The FGSC spans the divide between a genetic stock center and type collection in a number of important ways. Originally holding only mutant strains, now any organism that has had its genome sequenced is a genetic system and so the FGSC has added many new organisms.
The FGSC is well integrated in its core community and as research came to depend on cloned genes, vectors, and gene libraries, the FGSC included these materials. When the community expanded to include plant and human pathogens, the FGSC adopted these systems as well. Wild isolates from around the world have also proven instrumental in answering important questions and the FGSC holds tremendous diversity of the Neurospora species that are the core of the collection.
The growth in numbers of strains distributed illustrates the growth in research with fungi. Because of its position near the center of the fungal genetics effort, the FGSC is also the first to see trends in research directions. One recent example is the 300 percent jump in requests for strains of Neurospora crassa carrying a mutation making them sensitive to high salt concentration. These strains were seldom requested over many years, but became among our most popular resources following the demonstration of their utility in studying fungicide resistance. Because these materials are preserved without regard to their immediate value, they reinforce the impact of existing research and emphasize the need for long-term preservation of a broad variety of genetic resources.