Laura Smith
Basidiocarps are the fruiting bodies of fungi that produce spores from a basidium, a small structure that bears spores at the tips of small projections. They are typically club-shaped and borne on the gills under a mushroom cap. Basidiocarps are large and conspicuous in all but yeasts, rusts, and smuts. While not all mushrooms have them, they are characteristic of mushrooms and are often contained within the familiar mushroom. Therefore, all mushrooms are basidiocarps, but not all basidiocarps are mushrooms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Basidiomycota is a large and diverse phylum of fungi (kingdom Fungi) that includes jelly and <co: 5,8,11>shelf fungi, mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, certain yeasts, and rusts and smuts. |
| Types of Fungi | Basidiomycota includes "classic" mushrooms, polypores, corals, chanterelles, crusts, puffballs, and stinkhorns. |
| Classes | Agaricomycetes, Dacrymycetes, Tremellomycetes, and Wallemiomycetes. |
| Examples | Rust fungi, Septobasidium, mirror yeasts, bird's-nest fungi, and smut fungi. |
| Number of Species | 30,000 to 35,000 species of fungi that produce spores from a basidium. |
| Morphology | Basidiomycota are typically filamentous fungi composed of hyphae. |
| Reproduction | Most species reproduce sexually with a club-shaped spore-bearing organ (basidium) that usually produces four sexual spores (basidiospores). |
| Basidiocarps | Basidiocarps are the fruiting bodies of a mushroom-producing fungus, bearing the developing basidia on the gills under its cap. |
| Basidia | Basidia are the reproductive organs of Basidiomycota, often contained within the familiar mushroom. They are club-shaped, swollen terminal cells of a hypha. |
| Basidiospores | Basidiospores are the spores produced by the basidia, which can be discharged into the air and start new haploid mycelia. |
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What You'll Learn
- Basidiomycota includes mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, yeasts, rusts, and smuts
- Basidiocarps are the fruiting bodies of mushroom-producing fungi
- Basidia are the reproductive organs of fungi, often contained within mushrooms
- Basidiospores are the sexual spores produced by basidia
- Basidiomycetes include edible and poisonous fungi
Basidiomycota includes mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, yeasts, rusts, and smuts
Basidiomycota is a large and diverse phylum of fungi (kingdom Fungi) that encompasses various organisms, including mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, yeasts, rusts, and smuts. This group is commonly referred to as "higher fungi" and is characterised by their ability to produce spores from a specialised structure called a basidium.
Mushrooms, a well-known member of Basidiomycota, are easily recognised by their fruiting bodies, known as basidiocarps, which protrude from the ground. These mushrooms are sometimes called "gill fungi" due to the presence of gill-like structures on the underside of their caps. The gills are actually compacted hyphae, which are the swollen terminal cells of the fungus. Mushrooms, such as Coprinopsis cinerea, are particularly useful for studying meiosis as this process occurs synchronously in about 10 million cells within the mushroom cap.
Puffballs and stinkhorns are also part of the Basidiomycota phylum. These organisms, along with mushrooms, are classified as "classic" mushrooms or Agaricomycotina. This sub-phylum includes other familiar fungi like polypores, corals, chanterelles, and crusts. The Pucciniomycotina class within Basidiomycota encompasses rust fungi, insect parasites like Septobasidium, and a former group of smut fungi.
Yeasts are another significant component of Basidiomycota. Specific basidiomycete yeasts act as lichen symbionts, often found in the cortex of macrolichens. Some yeasts, such as Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, are pathogenic to humans and animals, causing infections by overcoming the host's oxidative defences.
Rusts and smuts, the final members of Basidiomycota mentioned here, are important plant pathogens. They can cause diseases in plants, impacting their health and agricultural productivity. These diverse organisms within Basidiomycota highlight the wide range of organisms included in this phylum, showcasing the complexity and variety within the kingdom Fungi.
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Basidiocarps are the fruiting bodies of mushroom-producing fungi
Basidiomycota is a diverse phylum of fungi that includes jelly and shelf fungi, mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, certain yeasts, and rusts and smuts. Basidiomycota are typically filamentous fungi composed of hyphae. Most species reproduce sexually with a club-shaped spore-bearing organ (basidium) that usually produces four sexual spores (basidiospores). Basidia are borne on fruiting bodies (basidiocarps), which are large and conspicuous in all but the yeasts, rusts, and smuts.
Basidiocarps bear the developing basidia on the gills under their caps. The lifecycle of a basidiomycete alternates generation with a prolonged stage in which two nuclei (dikaryon) are present in the hyphae. A basidium is the fruiting body of a mushroom-producing fungus, and it forms four basidiocarps. The basidiospores are ballistically discharged and start new haploid mycelia called monokaryons. There are no males or females, rather there are compatible thalli with multiple compatibility factors. Plasmogamy between compatible individuals leads to delayed karyogamy, resulting in the establishment of a dikaryon.
Basidiomycetes produce both haploid and dikaryotic mycelia, with the dikaryotic phase being dominant. Most fungi are haploid through most of their life cycles. The basidiomycetes include smuts and rusts, which are important plant pathogens, and toadstools. Most edible fungi belong to the Phylum Basidiomycota; however, some basidiomycetes produce deadly toxins. For example, Cryptococcus neoformans causes severe respiratory illness.
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Basidia are the reproductive organs of fungi, often contained within mushrooms
Basidiomycota is a large and diverse phylum of fungi that includes mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, yeasts, rusts, and smuts. Basidiomycota are typically filamentous fungi composed of hyphae. Basidia are the reproductive organs of these fungi and are often contained within mushrooms.
Basidia are club-shaped fruiting bodies that are the swollen terminal cells of a hypha. They are borne on the gills under the cap of a mushroom. The gills are actually compacted hyphae. Basidia typically produce four sexual spores, called basidiospores, which are discharged into the air. The discharge of spores from the basidia is called ballistospore discharge, and it is a feature of 30,000 species of mushrooms.
Basidiomycetes, a class of higher fungi within the Basidiomycota phylum, include smuts and rusts, which are important plant pathogens, and toadstools. Most edible fungi belong to this phylum, but some basidiomycetes produce deadly toxins. For example, Cryptococcus neoformans, which is found in the human pathogenic genus Cryptococcus, causes severe respiratory illness.
Basidiocarps are the fruiting bodies of mushroom-producing fungi. They are large and conspicuous in all but the yeasts, rusts, and smuts. The common mushroom, or Agaricus bisporus, is an example of a basidiocarp.
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Basidiospores are the sexual spores produced by basidia
Basidiospores are characterised by an attachment peg called a hilar appendage, which connects the spore to the basidium. They are typically thin-walled, smooth, and hyaline, with a size ranging from 5 to 10 microns long, although some can be as small as 2 microns. Basidiospores can be dispersed actively through a fungus's own mechanisms or passively through reliance on another organism or abiotic factor. Actively dispersed basidiospores are called ballistospores and are discharged through the condensation of water near the base of the spore.
The formation of basidiospores begins with the fusion of two different mating strains of nuclei in the basidium, a process known as karyogamy. This results in the formation of a diploid cell, which then undergoes meiosis to produce four haploid nuclei. Each of these nuclei migrates into its own basidiospore, which are ballistically discharged and start new haploid mycelia called monokaryons.
The dikaryon stage is long-lasting and can give rise to either fruitbodies with basidia or directly to basidia without fruitbodies. The dikaryon is maintained through the formation of clamp connections that help coordinate and re-establish compatible nuclei. The basidiospores are then forcibly discharged and germinate to produce a new primary mycelium. Basidiospores play a crucial role in the reproduction and dispersal of fungi in the Basidiomycota phylum, contributing to the diversity and distribution of these organisms.
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Basidiomycetes include edible and poisonous fungi
Basidiomycetes, or Basidiomycota, is a large and diverse phylum of fungi that includes edible and poisonous fungi. Basidiomycetes include mushrooms, yeasts, rusts, and smuts. Basidia, the reproductive organ of Basidiomycetes, are club-shaped and bear four spores at the tips of small projections. These spores are called basidiospores. The dikaryotic stage is prolonged in Basidiomycetes, with two nuclei present in the hyphae. Basidiomycetes typically reproduce sexually, but some are obligate asexual reproducers.
Basidiomycetes include a variety of mushrooms, such as the classic mushrooms, polypores, corals, chanterelles, crusts, puffballs, and stinkhorns. Some Basidiomycetes, like the cultivated button mushroom, are edible and commonly found in fields, supermarkets, and lawns. However, some Basidiomycetes produce deadly toxins and are poisonous. For example, Cryptococcus neoformans and Mycosarcoma maydis are pathogenic basidiomycetes that can cause infections in their hosts.
Basidiomycetes also include yeasts, which can be found in two forms: as basidiomycetous yeasts and as ascomycetous yeasts. Specific basidiomycete yeasts are known to be lichen symbionts, found in the cortex of many macrolichens along with unrelated fungi (typically ascomycetes) and green algae or cyanobacteria. Basidiomycetous yeasts are further categorized into two groups: those with yeast stages and those without, known as anamorphs. Examples of yeasts in the Basidiomycota phylum include mirror yeasts and Cryptococcus, a human pathogenic yeast.
In addition to mushrooms and yeasts, Basidiomycetes include rusts and smuts, which are important plant pathogens. Rests and smuts do not have large and conspicuous fruiting bodies like other Basidiomycetes. Basidiomycetes with rust include the Pucciniomycotina class, which comprises eight different types of fungi, most of which are parasitic on plants. The Ustilaginomycotina class includes most of the former smut fungi.
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Frequently asked questions
A basidiocarp is a fruiting body that protrudes from the ground, known as a mushroom.
A basidium is a small, club-shaped structure found in the Basidiomycota phylum of fungi. It bears four spores at the tips of small projections. The basidiocarp is the fruiting body of a mushroom-producing fungus that bears the developing basidia on the gills under its cap.
The lifecycle of a basidiocarp involves the fusion of genetic material in the basidium, followed by meiosis, producing haploid basidiospores. The basidiospores are then discharged and start new haploid mycelia called monokaryons.
No, while most mushrooms are basidiocarps, there are some exceptions. Some mushrooms do not produce basidiospores and instead, parts of the "basidia" act as the dispersal agents, such as in the false puffball (Scleroderma).
Examples of basidiocarps that are not mushrooms include jelly fungi, shelf fungi, and bird's-nest fungi.
