As a common member of the microbial communities found in soils, A. niger also plays a significant role in the global carbon cycle. It is a soil saprobe with a wide array of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes involved in the breakdown of plant lignocellulose. An increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling carbon flux in fungi will be gained from study of the A. niger genome. Finally, A. niger is an important model fungus for the study of eukaryotic protein secretion in general, the effects of various environmental factors on suppressing or triggering the export of various biomass degrading enzymes, molecular mechanisms critical to fermentation process development, and mechanisms involved in the control of fungal morphology.