Laura Smith
Mushrooms are a type of fungus, which are mostly coenocytic or multicellular organisms made up of masses of filaments, or hyphae. They are typically found in soil and form conspicuous fruit bodies, which sometimes resemble plants. Fungi are now considered a separate kingdom, distinct from both plants and animals. Fungi produce compounds that inhibit viruses and cancer cells, and certain mushrooms are used in cancer treatments in several countries. While some fungi are flagellated, it is unclear whether mushrooms have flagellated cells. Flagellated fungi include several divisions that are not closely related, and while these divisions have flagellated stages, they are not restricted to an aquatic environment. Chytridiomycota, for example, is a division of aquatic fungi that is flagellated.
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What You'll Learn
Mushrooms are a type of fungus
There are approximately 14,000 species of mushrooms, and they come in a wide array of shapes, sizes, and colours. They are neither plants nor animals but constitute their own kingdom: the Fungi. Before developing the mushroom structure, the fungus lives as a mycelium, a mat-like or net-like network of filaments infusing a patch of soil or wood. When conditions are right, the mycelium develops a fruiting structure, a mushroom, which emerges from the ground or a tree.
Mushrooms are similar to plants in some ways but lack chlorophyll and must take nutrients from other materials. Some fungi digest materials from living tissues and are called parasites. When mushrooms are seen growing from a living tree, that tree is being parasitized by a fungus under its bark. Other fungi form mutually beneficial relationships with the roots of plants, helping them absorb water and minerals while receiving nutrients in return. Many trees, orchids, and other plants cannot survive without these fungal partners.
Fungi play important roles in nature and for humans. They are responsible for breaking down dead materials, keeping us from being overwhelmed by leaf litter and fallen branches. Fungi have also been used by humans for thousands of years to make bread, wine, and beer. They are also used to create antibiotics and other drugs, such as penicillin, which was first isolated from a rotten cantaloupe in the 1940s.
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Fungi are mostly coenocytic or multicellular organisms
Fungi are a diverse group of organisms that include both unicellular and multicellular species. The discipline of biology devoted to the study of fungi is known as mycology. The kingdom Fungi includes an enormous variety of living organisms, collectively referred to as Eumycota, or true fungi. While scientists have identified about 100,000 species of fungi, this is only a fraction of the over 1 million species likely present on Earth.
Fungi have well-defined characteristics that set them apart from other organisms. Most multicellular fungal bodies, commonly called molds, are made up of filaments called hyphae. These hyphae can be either septate or nonseptate (coenocytic). Septate hyphae are divided into compartments separated by cross walls (internal cell walls, called septa), with each compartment containing one or more nuclei. Coenocytic hyphae, on the other hand, are not compartmentalized and are essentially multinucleate supercells. The formation of these hyphae leads to the development of a mycelium, an interconnected network that forms the thallus (body) of fleshy fungi.
The Zygomycota (zygomycetes) are a group of fungi with coenocytic hyphae and haploid nuclei. They reproduce asexually using sporangiospores and sexually through the formation of zygospores. The bread mold Rhizopus stolonifer is an example of a member of Zygomycota. Other major phyla of fungi include Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, which are well-supported clades that lack flagella.
Fungi have unique cellular structures that distinguish them from other organisms. Like plant cells, they have a cell wall, but it is composed of chitin and glucan instead of cellulose. The cell wall provides protection from desiccation and predators. Fungi also have plasma membranes similar to other eukaryotes, but they are stabilized by ergosterol, a molecule analogous to cholesterol in animal cell membranes. These differences in fungal cells are important targets for antifungal medications, although similarities between human and fungal cells can make drug development challenging.
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Fungi have flagellated zoospores
Flagellated fungi, or Chytridiomycota, are a type of aquatic fungi that reproduce asexually using flagellated spores called zoospores. These zoospores are produced in zoosporangia and are released into the water for dispersal. The zoospores of aquatic fungi swim in the surrounding water using one or two whip-like structures called flagella, which provide locomotion in aqueous or moist environments.
Flagellated fungi have long been classified separately from true fungi due to a lack of morphological similarities. Fungi are typically defined as heterotrophic, eukaryotic organisms that absorb nutrients, produce non-motile spores, and have cell walls composed mostly of chitin. In contrast, flagellated fungi have motile spores, leading to their classification in the kingdom Protista.
However, recent molecular studies have challenged this classification. Molecular evidence now supports the inclusion of Chytridiomycota with the true fungi, despite their lack of morphological similarities. Chytridiomycota are considered the basal lineage of fungi as they share characteristics with both metazoans and other fungi. They use glycogen to store energy like metazoans, and they produce flagellated spores (zoospores) like other fungi.
The loss of the flagellum in the fungal lineage is a significant event in the evolution of fungi. It is believed that the loss of the flagellum happened only once, coinciding with the shift from aqueous to terrestrial growth. With the loss of motile cells, fungi evolved alternative methods of gamete release and dissemination. While the Chytridiomycota have retained their flagella, other groups such as Oomycota and Hyphochytridiomycota appear to be unrelated to fungi and are now included in the separate kingdom Stramenopila.
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Flagellated fungi are classified in the kingdom Protista
The term 'Protista' is derived from the Greek word "protistos", meaning "the very first". In 1866, German scientist Ernst Haeckel, the "father of protistology", proposed Protistenreich (Kingdom Protista) as the third kingdom of life, comprising primitive forms that were "neither animals nor plants".
Protists are a group of all the eukaryotes that are not fungi, animals, or plants. This kingdom includes organisms that are usually unicellular, with a nucleus bound to the organelles. Some protists possess structures that aid locomotion, such as flagella or cilia. Flagellated protozoans, for example, are free-living or parasitic protists that have flagella.
Fungi, on the other hand, are part of a separate kingdom. They are classified as eukaryotic organisms that absorb nutrients. While most fungi have lost their flagella, members of the Chytridiomycota phylum are considered to be the basal lineage of fungi and still have flagellated spores (zoospores).
Due to the presence of flagella in some fungi, it can be argued that flagellated fungi are classified within the kingdom Protista. However, the traditional view is that Protista specifically includes eukaryotes that are not animals, plants, or fungi. As such, flagellated fungi would be classified in the kingdom Fungi, separate from Protista.
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Mushrooms are spore-producing structures
Mushrooms are the fruitbodies of fungi, which are eukaryotic organisms that include yeasts, moulds, and mushrooms. Fungi commonly produce spores during sexual and asexual reproduction, making mushrooms spore-producing structures.
A spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and survival, even in harsh conditions. Spores are usually haploid and grow into mature haploid individuals through mitotic division of cells. Dikaryotic cells, on the other hand, result from the fusion of two haploid gamete cells. The fusion of the two haploid nuclei in sporogenic dikaryotic cells produces a diploid cell, which then undergoes meiosis to form haploid spores.
In fungi, spores are actively dispersed by forcible ejection from their reproductive structures, allowing them to travel long distances through the air. Fungi possess specialized mechanical and physiological mechanisms, such as hydrophobins, for spore ejection. For example, the explosive discharge of ascospores is enabled by the structure of the ascus and the accumulation of osmolytes in its fluids. The small size and lightweight nature of spores allow them to be easily carried by air currents, with most fungal spores spread by the wind. Additionally, spores can be spread by water droplets or with the help of animals like flies, which are attracted to the putrid odour of certain fungi.
Mushrooms, as the fruitbodies of fungi, play a crucial role in spore production and dispersal. The spores of mushrooms form on special hyphae, which are thin gills arranged in a circle on the underside of the cap. The curved shape of the cap helps to shed rainwater while keeping the spores dry. Mushrooms have a short lifespan, so they must quickly release their spores to ensure the survival and spread of the fungus.
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Frequently asked questions
No, mushrooms do not have flagellated cells. Mushrooms are classified under Basidiomycota, a division of the Kingdom Fungi, and most fungi have lost their flagella.
Flagellated cells are cells with flagella, which are whip-like structures that propel the cell.
It is believed that the loss of the flagellum happened only once in the evolutionary history of the Kingdom Fungi. This loss of motile cells led to the evolution of alternative methods of gamete release and dissemination in fungi.
Yes, members of the Chytridiomycota division are considered to be the basal lineage of fungi and have flagellated spores (zoospores). However, some Chytridiomycota species have lost their flagella and produce amoebae instead of zoospores.
Mushrooms reproduce by forming compacted hyphae, or spore-producing structures, called basidiocarps. These structures release spores from gill-like furrows under the mushroom cap. The spores are then dispersed, often by wind, and germinate into new fungal mycelia.
