Emily Johnson
Hymenophore is a term used to collectively describe the fleshy structures that bear the hymenium, which is the layer of cells on the surface of the gills of a mushroom. The hymenophore may be convoluted and enclosed within the fruiting body, but the hymenium must be on the outside of the hymenophore for these structures to be classified as such. Hymenomycetes, a group of basidiomycetes, traditionally included all mushroom-forming species with gilled or lamellate hymenophores, but recent phylogenetic investigations have suggested the existence of separate clades of gilled mushrooms. The morphology of the hymenophore and the basidiome type were once used in the systematics of Hymenomycetes, but molecular DNA analyses have revealed these morphological criteria to be unreliable for taxonomy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | The collective term for the fleshy structures that bear the hymenium |
| Hymenophore vs Hymenium | The hymenophore may be enclosed within the fruiting body, but the hymenium must be on the "outside" of the hymenophore for both structures to be classified as such |
| Examples | Gills in gilled mushrooms, lamellate hymenophore in Agaricales, poroid hymenophores |
| Morphology | Hymenomycetes include eight major clades, each with multiple basidiocarp and hymenophore morphologies |
| Identification | Important for species identification, with features such as colour, shape, and microscopic details being distinctive |
| Medicinal Use | Fomitopsis officinalis, a mushroom with a hymenophore, is used in traditional European medicine |
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What You'll Learn
- Hymenophore is a collective term for the fleshy structures that bear the hymenium
- The hymenium is the layer of cells on the surface of mushroom gills
- Gills are important for spore dispersal and species identification
- Fomitopsis officinalis is a medicinal mushroom species with large fruiting bodies
- The Agaricales are the best-studied group of basidiomycetes
Hymenophore is a collective term for the fleshy structures that bear the hymenium
The hymenophore is a collective term for the fleshy structures that bear the hymenium. In a gilled mushroom, the gills constitute the hymenophore, and the hymenium is the layer of cells on the surface of those gills. The hymenium contains the spore-bearing cells (usually basidia or asci) of the fungus.
The hymenophore may be convoluted and enclosed within the fruiting body of the mushroom. However, for the structures to qualify for their names, the hymenium must be, in some sense, on the "outside" of the hymenophore. If the hymenium is not on the outside of the hymenophore, then the structure is called a gleba, which is inside a peridium.
The Hymenomycetes include an estimated eight major clades, each encompassing multiple basidiocarp and hymenophore morphologies. Traditionally, the Hymenomycetes order included all mushroom-forming species with gilled or lamellate hymenophores, as well as the fleshy poroid mushrooms of the Boletaceae family. However, recent phylogenetic investigations do not support this classification, suggesting the existence of five to six separate clades of gilled mushrooms within the homobasidiomycetous Hymenomycetes alone.
The Agaricales are the best-studied group of basidiomycetes and are well-known phylogenetically. Gilled species are found not only in the Agaricales but also in other clades such as the polyporoid, bolete, and Russulales. Transitions from agaricoid shapes to poroid hymenophores have also been observed.
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The hymenium is the layer of cells on the surface of mushroom gills
The hymenophore is a collective term for the fleshy structures that bear the hymenium. In a gilled mushroom, the gills constitute the hymenophore, and the hymenium is the layer of cells on the surface of these gills. The hymenophore may be convoluted and enclosed within the fruiting body, but the hymenium must be on the "outside" of the hymenophore for these structures to be classified as such. If the hymenium is not on the outside, the structure is instead called a gleba, inside a peridium.
The hymenium is the layer of cells containing the spore-bearing cells (usually basidia or asci) of the fungus. In some species, all the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others, some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia (basidiomycetes) or paraphyses (ascomycetes). Cystidia are important for microscopic identification. The subhymenium, which consists of supportive hyphae from which the cells of the hymenium grow, lies beneath the hymenium. The hymenophoral trama, which is made up of the hyphae that form the mass of the hymenophore, is found beneath the subhymenium.
The hymenium is traditionally the first characteristic used in the classification and identification of mushrooms. In agarics, the hymenium is found on the vertical faces of the gills. In boletes and polypores, it is found in a spongy mass of downward-pointing tubes. In puffballs, the hymenium is internal, and in stinkhorns, it develops internally before being exposed as a foul-smelling gel that attracts flies to spread spores. In cup fungi, the hymenium is found on the concave surface of the cup.
Gills or lamellae are thin, flat, plate-like structures that form vertically under the cap and spread outward from a single point. Some species form a single array of gills, while others form stacks of lamellae between the main gills or branching gills. The fungus forms these structures to maximize the surface area of the hymenium, allowing the mushroom to produce more spores and increasing its chances of reproducing.
Gilled mushrooms belong to the Agaricales group, which is the best-studied group of basidiomycetes. Recent phylogenetic investigations, however, suggest the existence of five to six separate clades of gilled mushrooms among the homobasidiomycetous Hymenomycetes alone.
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Gills are important for spore dispersal and species identification
Mushrooms have spores located under their caps, within their gills or pores. These spores are similar to the seeds of a plant, as they are necessary for the mushroom to reproduce. Mushrooms can release trillions of spores every day, but they only do so when conditions are ideal, as ample nutrients and water are required for this process.
The gills, or lamellae, are the thin-walled structures that surround the mushroom's stem. They are composed of two layers: the lamellae that reach from the stem to the edge, and the lamellulae, which are shorter gills that don't reach the stem. The gills are important for spore dispersal, as they increase the surface area for spore production, and the spores are propelled horizontally from the gill surface. The spacing between the gills is important for the successful release of spores.
The gills are also important for species identification. The attachment of the gills to the stem is classified based on the shape of the gills when viewed from the side, while colour, crowding, and the shape of individual gills can also be distinctive features. For example, Lactarius species typically seep latex from their gills. Therefore, the gills play an important role in both spore dispersal and species identification in mushrooms.
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Fomitopsis officinalis is a medicinal mushroom species with large fruiting bodies
The hymenophore is a collective term for the fleshy structures that bear the hymenium, or the layer of cells on the surface of gills in gilled mushrooms. The hymenophore may be convoluted and enclosed within the fruiting body, but the hymenium must be on the "outside" of the hymenophore for the structure to be considered a hymenophore.
F. officinalis has been used in traditional European medicine since at least the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was mass-collected for its medicinal properties. It was believed to be effective in treating a wide range of ailments, from excessive sweating to cancer. The large demand for larch wood and non-wood materials contributed to the disappearance of F. officinalis from its natural environment. Today, it is a protected species due to its rarity, and it is listed as a species at risk of extinction.
The medicinal properties of F. officinalis are derived from its unique composition of bioactive compounds, including triterpenoids, polysaccharides, organic acids, coumarins, and phenolic compounds. Extracts from the apical part of the mushroom are particularly rich in phenolic compounds and exhibit strong antiradical and antimicrobial properties. The fruiting bodies of F. officinalis have also shown significant activity against certain cancer cell lines in vitro.
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The Agaricales are the best-studied group of basidiomycetes
The phylum Basidiomycota is divided into three subphyla: Agaricomycotina (fleshy basidiomycetes), Pucciniomycotina (yeasts and filamentous fungi), and Ustilaginomycotina (smuts). Basidiomycota is one of two large divisions that, along with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya, commonly referred to as the "higher fungi" within the kingdom Fungi. Members of this division are known as basidiomycetes. Basidiomycota includes groups such as agarics, puffballs, stinkhorns, bracket fungi, and jelly fungi.
The Agaricales, or the euagaric clade, is currently the best-studied group of basidiomycetes. It is the largest order in Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota. Most species in the Agaricales form mushrooms with gilled hymenophore, pileus, and stipe. Hymenophore is a collective term for the fleshy structures that bear the hymenium, which is the layer of cells on the surface of the gills of a mushroom. Although the hymenophore may be convoluted and enclosed within the fruiting body, the hymenium must be on the "outside" of the hymenophore for either of these structures to qualify for their names.
The order Agaricales traditionally included all mushroom-forming species with a gilled or lamellate hymenophore, as well as the fleshy poroid mushrooms of the Boletaceae. However, more recent phylogenetic investigations do not support this classification. These investigations suggest the existence of five to six separate clades of gilled mushrooms among the homobasidiomycetous Hymenomycetes alone. For example, Russula and Lactarius, two common genera of the Russulales, are not members of the Agaricales but rather are part of a large and morphologically diverse clade that includes poroid, toothed, corticioid, and gasteroid (false-truffle) morphologies.
The Agaricales have been the subject of numerous studies, including those conducted in the Republic of Korea, which led to the discovery of 14 previously unrecorded species belonging to nine genera: Agaricus, Calocybe, Cortinarius, Hygrocybe, Inocybe, Lepista, Leucoagaricus, Marasmius, and Psathyrella. These studies provided detailed morphological and molecular data that serve as reliable references for the identification of Agaricales species.
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Frequently asked questions
A hymenophore is a collective term for the fleshy structures that bear the hymenium, or the layer of cells on the surface of gills in a mushroom.
The hymenophore is important for spore dispersal and species identification.
The hymenophore is a structure within the fruiting body of a mushroom. The hymenophore may be convoluted and enclosed within the fruiting body, but the hymenium must be on the "outside" of the hymenophore for it to be considered as such.
Fomitopsis officinalis is a mushroom species with a hymenophore. It is a medicinal mushroom commonly used in traditional European medicine.
