Laura Smith
Ascomycota, commonly known as sac fungi or ascomycetes, is a large phylum of fungi that includes over 64,000 species. Some ascomycetes are mushrooms, while others are yeasts, molds, or lichens. Ascomycetes are characterized by their method of reproduction, which primarily occurs asexually through the production of microscopic spores inside sac-like structures called asci. This diverse group of fungi includes pathogens of both plants and animals, edible mushrooms, and decomposers of organic matter.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of Fungi | Ascomycota, commonly known as sac fungi or ascomycetes |
| Number of Species | Over 64,000 |
| Examples | Morels, Truffles, Yeasts, Penicillium, Aspergillus, Claviceps |
| Mushroom Types | A few are edible mushrooms |
| Other Examples | Morel, Truffle |
| Reproduction | Asexual |
| Uses | Medicinal compounds, fermentation in bread and alcohol, cheese |
| Other Uses | Used for pest control, biological model organisms in laboratory research |
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What You'll Learn
Mushrooms are a type of Basidiomycota fungi
Basidiomycota were traditionally divided into two classes: Homobasidiomycetes (or holobasidiomycetes), which include true mushrooms, and Heterobasidiomycetes, which include jelly, rust, and smut fungi. These groupings continue to be used as two types of growth habit groupings: the "mushrooms" (e.g. Schizophyllum commune) and the non-mushrooms (e.g. Mycosarcoma maydis). Basidiomycota that reproduce asexually are typically recognized as members of this division by their gross similarity to other members and by the format of their asexual reproduction.
Basidiomycetes are named after the basidium, a club-shaped structure upon which (usually) four haploid basidiospores (the result of karyogamy and meiosis in the sexual reproductive process) are perched. Basidia are borne on fruiting bodies (basidiocarps), which are large and conspicuous in all but the yeasts, rusts, and smuts. Some basidia are borne on complex, multicellular fruiting bodies, such as mushrooms. Other basidiomycete features include hyphal outgrowths called clamp connections and the presence of a dikaryon phase in the life cycle, where each cell in the thallus contains two nuclei.
Basidiomycota play an important role in the carbon cycle by decaying organic matter, including wood. Many basidiomycetes produce large, spectacular fruiting structures, while others are known for their hallucinogenic properties. Basidiomycota also includes highly important plant pathogens, such as the rust and smut fungi.
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Ascomycetes are 'spore shooters'
Ascomycota, or Ascomycetes, are a large phylum of fungi, with over 64,000 species. They are commonly referred to as sac fungi, due to their defining feature: the production of microscopic spores inside sac-like structures called asci. These spores are non-motile and are formed during sexual reproduction, though many Ascomycetes are asexual and do not form spores in this way. Ascomycetes are spore shooters, and their method of spore discharge varies.
The majority of Ascomycetes species are multicellular fungi that produce hyphae—microscopic filamentous structures that form mycelium. However, some species are unicellular fungi (yeasts) that bud as single cells. Asexual reproduction is the dominant form of reproduction in Ascomycetes and is responsible for their rapid spread into new areas. This form of reproduction is structurally and functionally diverse and can occur through budding, a process where the hyphal tip wall blows out or blebs, and a new cell wall is synthesised and extruded. Asexual reproduction can also occur through the production of conidia, which are the asexual, non-motile spores of a fungus, and chlamydospores.
Ascomycetes occupy diverse habitats, including soil, water, plants, animals, and humans, and exhibit varied feeding habits, such as saprophytes, symbionts, plant parasites, and human pathogens. They are of particular use to humans as sources of medicinally important compounds, like antibiotics, and for fermenting bread, alcoholic beverages, and cheese. Examples of Ascomycetes include Penicillium species, which are used in cheese-making and antibiotic production, and Candida albicans, a human pathogen.
Some Ascomycetes form complex asexual sporing structures within plant tissue, acting as parasites or saprophytes. These structures are called sporodochia, which are cushions of conidiophores created from a pseudoparenchymatous stroma in plant tissue. Other Ascomycetes, like the genus Cordyceps, are entomopathogenic fungi, parasitising and killing insects. Ascomycetes also include important plant pathogens, such as those causing powdery mildew of grape and Dutch elm disease.
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Ascomycetes are used for bread, alcohol and cheese production
Ascomycetes, a large phylum of fungi, have diverse uses in bread, alcohol, and cheese production. Fungi from this phylum are characterised by a sac-like structure, the ascus, which contains four to eight ascospores in the sexual stage. Asexual reproduction is the dominant form of propagation in the Ascomycota, and it is responsible for the rapid spread of these fungi into new areas.
In bread-making, ascomycetes like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or common yeast, leaven the dough. Leavening is a process by which air bubbles are introduced into the dough, making it rise and giving it a softer texture. Yeast is also used to ferment grain to produce beer or alcohol. During fermentation, yeast breaks down pyruvic acid, producing ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide.
In winemaking, yeast is used to ferment grape juice. The process of fermentation was discovered when people observed that mixtures of crushed grapes produced bubbles, as though they were boiling. Through trial and error, ancient people learned that temperature and air exposure are key to the fermentation process.
Ascomycetes are also used in cheese production. Cheese is made from milk by a succession of microbes (bacteria, yeasts, and fungi) that determine the consistency and flavour of the cheese. Some species of ascomycetes are highly specialised for cheese, while others are generalist fungi. For example, Penicillium species are used in cheese production, but some species like Penicillium roqueforti and Penicillium camemberti produce mycotoxins that can negatively impact flavour and colour. However, there is no direct evidence of toxicity to humans from the cyclopiazonic acid produced by P. camemberti.
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Ascomycetes are used in medicine, e.g. antibiotics and penicillin
Ascomycetes are a large phylum of fungi, containing over 64,000 species. They are characterised by a sac-like structure, known as an ascus, which contains four to eight ascospores in the sexual stage. Ascomycetes are of particular use to humans as sources of medicinally important compounds, such as antibiotics.
The Penicillium mould, an ascomycete, is used to produce the antibiotic penicillin. In 1928, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming first observed that colonies of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus did not grow in areas of a culture contaminated by the green mould Penicillium chrysogenum. Fleming isolated the mould, grew it in a fluid medium, and found that it produced a substance capable of killing many of the common bacteria that infect humans. By the late 1930s, Australian pathologist Howard Florey and British biochemist Ernst Boris Chain had isolated and purified penicillin, and by 1941 an injectable form of the drug was available for therapeutic use.
Ascomycetes are also used to produce other antibiotics for treating bacterial infectious diseases. Many ascomycetes are pathogens, both of animals, including humans, and of plants. Examples of ascomycetes that can cause infections in humans include Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, and several tens of species that cause skin infections. The many plant-pathogenic ascomycetes include apple scab, rice blast, the ergot fungi, black knot, and the powdery mildews.
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Ascomycetes include truffles, morels and yeasts
Ascomycetes are a large phylum of fungi, with over 64,000 species, although some estimates put the number at 93,000. They are named after their characteristic reproductive structure, the ascus, a sac-like structure that contains ascospores, the products of meiosis during the sexual reproductive process. Ascomycetes are of particular use to humans as sources of medicinally important compounds such as antibiotics, as well as for fermenting bread, alcoholic beverages, and cheese.
Ascomycetes include truffles, which are edible fungi that develop underground and form a symbiotic relationship with the roots of specific trees, such as oak and hazelnut. They are highly prized for their unique flavour and aroma and are considered a delicacy in various culinary traditions.
Morels are another type of edible ascomycete fungus known for their distinctive honeycomb-like appearance and rich, earthy flavour. They are highly sought after by gourmet chefs and foragers, and they form important mycorrhizal relationships with plants, providing enhanced water and nutrient uptake and, in some cases, protection from insects.
Yeasts are single-celled ascomycetes that ferment sugars to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol, making them crucial in the production of bread and alcoholic beverages. The most common yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, whose varieties leaven dough in bread-making and ferment grain to produce beer or mash for distillation into liquor.
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Frequently asked questions
No, mushrooms belong to the phylum Basidiomycota of fungi.
Ascomycota, commonly known as sac fungi or ascomycetes, constitute the largest taxonomic group within the Eumycota. They are characterised by a sac-like structure, the ascus, which contains four to eight ascospores in the sexual stage.
Some examples of ascomycetes include Penicillium species, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger.
Yes, while most mushrooms belong to the phylum Basidiomycota, a few mushrooms are ascomycetes, including morels and truffles.
