Researcher into the genetic basis of fungal mating
Lorna Casselton, who has died aged 75, undertook pioneering research in the genetics of mating in mushroom-forming fungi. She was one of the UK's most important fungal biologists of the past 30 years. She also served as vice-president and foreign secretary of the Royal Society (2006-11).
Unlike animals and plants, which have only two sexes, many of the fungi that Casselton studied have more. Indeed, there are often tens or even hundreds of different "sexes" of some species. This conundrum had long fascinated geneticists: how can a fungus recognise a mating partner from so many potential choices?