Laura Smith
Mushrooms are a type of fungus that have been valued as food since ancient times. They are used extensively in cooking, notably in Chinese, Korean, European, and Japanese cuisines. There are approximately 14,000 species of mushrooms, and they are typically classified as one of the traditional eukaryotic kingdoms, along with Animalia, Plantae, and either Protista or Protozoa and Chromista. Mushrooms are members of the group of Basidiomycota, one of the two large divisions that constitute the subkingdom Dikarya, often referred to as the higher fungi. Basidiomycota includes groups such as agarics, puffballs, stinkhorns, and jelly fungi. The most common commercially grown mushroom is Agaricus bisporus, which is considered safe for human consumption.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Basidiomycota |
| Subphyla | Agaricomycetes, Agaricostilbomycetes, Atractiellomycetes, Bartheletiomycetes, Classiculomycetes, Cryptomycocolacomycetes, Cystobasidiomycetes, Dacrymycetes, Exobasidiomycetes, Malasseziomycetes, Microbotryomycetes, Mixiomycetes, Monilielliomycetes, Pucciniomycetes, Spiculogloeomycetes, Tremellomycetes, Tritirachiomycetes, Ustilaginomycetes, Wallemiomycetes |
| Classes | 16 |
| Orders | 52 |
| Families | 177 |
| Genera | 1,589 |
| Species | 31,515 |
| Common Fungi | Common fairy-ring mushroom, shiitake, enoki, oyster mushrooms, fly agarics, other Amanitas, paddy straw mushrooms, shaggy manes, lobster mushrooms, hedgehog mushroom, tooth fungi, polypores, puffballs, jelly fungi, coral fungi, bracket fungi, stinkhorns, cup fungi |
| Vitamin Content | Vitamin D2 |
| Calories | More than 90% water, less than 3% protein, less than 5% carbohydrate, less than 1% fat, about 1% mineral salts and vitamins |
| Identification | Spores (color, shape, size, attachment, ornamentation, and reaction to chemical tests) |
| Poisonous | Death cap mushroom |
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What You'll Learn
Mushrooms are part of the Basidiomycota phylum
The term "mushroom" is commonly used to refer to the fleshy fungal fruiting bodies of certain fungi, typically of the order Agaricales in the phylum Basidiomycota. However, the term is loosely applied and can also include other groups. Some mushrooms have gills underneath, while others have pores or spines. The most well-known basidiocarps are mushrooms, but they can also take other forms. Mushrooms are used extensively in cooking, particularly in Chinese, Korean, European, and Japanese cuisines. Humans have valued them as food since antiquity.
Mushrooms develop from a small nodule called a primordium, which enlarges into a roundish structure called a "button." As the mushroom grows, the universal veil that surrounds the developing fruit body ruptures and may remain as a cup at the base of the stalk. Many mushrooms lack this universal veil and, therefore, do not have a cup or volval patches. The microscopic features of spores, such as colour, shape, size, and attachment, are crucial for accurate mushroom identification.
There are approximately 14,000 species of mushrooms described, and they play an essential role in ecological systems as primary decomposers. They acquire their food by absorbing dissolved molecules and secreting digestive enzymes into their environment. While mushrooms are a valuable food source, it is important to accurately identify wild mushrooms before consumption, as poisoning by wild mushrooms is common and can be fatal or cause allergic reactions.
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Basidiomycota includes agarics, puffballs, and stinkhorns
Mushrooms are a type of fungus, and there are around 14,000 species of mushrooms. The term mushroom is used to refer to the conspicuous umbrella-shaped fruiting body (sporophore) of certain fungi. The most important microscopic feature for the identification of mushrooms is the spores. Their colour, shape, size, attachment, ornamentation, and reaction to chemical tests are often crucial to identification.
The Basidiomycota is a large and diverse phylum of fungi (kingdom Fungi) that includes agarics, puffballs, and stinkhorns, as well as jelly and shelf fungi, certain yeasts, and the 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.
Basidiomycota includes the Agaricomycotina, which encompasses the "classic" mushrooms, polypores, corals, chanterelles, crusts, puffballs, and stinkhorns. The three classes in the Agaricomycotina are the Agaricomycetes, the Dacrymycetes, and the Tremellomycetes. The Pucciniomycotina includes the rust fungi, the insect parasitic/symbiotic genus Septobasidium, and a former group of smut fungi.
Basidiomycota are filamentous fungi composed of hyphae (except for basidiomycota-yeast) and reproduce sexually via the formation of specialized club-shaped end cells called basidia that normally bear external meiospores (usually four). These specialized spores are called basidiospores. Basidiospores are typically ballistic, meaning they are sometimes also called ballistospores. In most species, the basidiospores disperse and each can start a new haploid mycelium, continuing the lifecycle.
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Basidiomycota are commonly called higher fungi
Mushrooms are a type of fungus that belongs to the phylum Basidiomycota. This phylum is commonly referred to as the "higher fungi". Basidiomycota is one of two large divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya within the kingdom Fungi. Members of Basidiomycota are known as basidiomycetes.
Basidiomycota includes a diverse range of fungi, including mushrooms, chanterelles, smuts, rusts, puffballs, bracket fungi, jelly fungi, boletes, stinkhorns, earthstars, bunts, mirror yeasts, and human pathogenic yeasts. Some common mushrooms that belong to the phylum Basidiomycota include the common fairy-ring mushroom, shiitake, enoki, oyster mushrooms, fly agarics, and magic mushrooms.
The defining characteristic of Basidiomycota is the presence of specialized cells called basidia that bear spores. These spores are called basidiospores, and they are definitive characteristics used to classify fungi at the phylum level. Basidiospores are typically found in mushrooms, and they play a crucial role in the reproduction of Basidiomycota.
Basidiomycota reproduce sexually through the formation of club-shaped end cells called basidia that normally bear external meiospores. These specialized spores, or basidiospores, are usually four in number. However, it is important to note that some Basidiomycota are obligate asexual reproducers, utilizing various methods of asexual reproduction.
The traditional classification of Basidiomycota divided them into two classes: Homobasidiomycetes (or holobasidiomycetes), which included true mushrooms, and Heterobasidiomycetes, which included jelly, rust, and smut fungi. While these classifications are now considered obsolete, the terms "mushrooms" and "non-mushrooms" are still used to describe the former concepts, reflecting their growth habits.
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Basidiomycetes reproduce sexually, forming club-shaped basidia
Mushrooms are a type of fungus, and most mushrooms belong to the Phylum Basidiomycota. This phylum is also known as the "club fungi" due to the club-shaped structure of their reproductive organs.
Basidiomycetes, members of the Basidiomycota phylum, reproduce both sexually and asexually. In sexual reproduction, Basidiomycetes form club-shaped structures called basidia, which are the reproductive organs of these fungi. Basidia are specialised end cells that usually bear four external spores called basidiospores. These spores are the result of the fusion of two compatible nuclei (karyogamy) to form a diploid cell, followed by meiosis, which produces four haploid nuclei that migrate into the four basidiospores. The basidiospores then disperse and each can start a new haploid mycelium, continuing the lifecycle.
The lifecycle of Basidiomycetes includes a prolonged stage in which two nuclei (dikaryon) are present in the hyphae. The dikaryotic status is maintained by the formation of clamp connections that help coordinate and re-establish pairs of compatible nuclei. The basidia are formed by plasmogamy, or fusion, between mycelia from two different spores, resulting in hyphae with two types of nuclei, one from each parent. This process leads to the formation of the fruiting body or basidioma, which is the mushroom that we commonly see.
Basidiospores are the sexual spores of Basidiomycetes and are more common than asexual spores. They form in the club-shaped basidia, which are typically found on the gills under the cap of the mushroom. The gills are actually compacted hyphae, and other structures in the Basidiomycota phylum that have these gills include shelf fungi and toadstools.
While most Basidiomycetes are edible, some produce deadly toxins. It is important to accurately identify mushrooms before consuming them, as poisoning by wild mushrooms is common and can be fatal or cause mild gastrointestinal or allergic reactions.
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Mushrooms are also part of the Ascomycota phylum
Mushrooms are typically part of the Basidiomycota phylum, but some mushrooms, such as morels, truffles, and cup fungi, are part of the Ascomycota phylum. Ascomycota is a large phylum of fungi, containing over 64,000 species. It is characterised by the presence of a reproductive structure called the ascus, which contains four to eight ascospores in the sexual stage. However, some Ascomycota species are asexual and do not form asci or ascospores.
The Ascomycota phylum includes many commercially important fungi, such as yeasts used in baking, brewing, and wine fermentation. Truffles and morels are also considered delicacies. However, many Ascomycota species are plant pathogens, and some are animal pathogens. Examples of plant pathogenic Ascomycota include apple scab, rice blast, and the ergot fungi. Aspergillus is an example of an animal pathogen within the phylum.
The Ascomycota phylum is known for its diverse methods of asexual reproduction, which have facilitated the rapid spread of these fungi into new areas. Asexual reproduction in Ascomycota can occur through the production of conidia (mitospores), budding, or the formation of vegetative reproductive spores. Many species within the phylum are also capable of sexual reproduction, with the ascus structure playing a crucial role in the formation of non-motile spores known as ascospores.
While the Ascomycota phylum includes some well-known mushrooms, such as morels and truffles, it is important to note that not all Ascomycota species produce mushroom-like fruiting bodies. The term "mushroom" is commonly used to refer to the fleshy fungal fruiting bodies of certain fungi, typically within the Basidiomycota phylum. However, the term can also be applied to any fleshy fungus fruiting structure, regardless of its taxonomic classification.
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Frequently asked questions
Most common mushrooms belong to the phylum Basidiomycota.
Some mushrooms in the Basidiomycota phylum include Schizophyllum commune, Coprinopsis cinerea, and Agaricus bisporus.
Yes, some mushrooms belong to the Ascomycota phylum, commonly known as sac fungi or ascomycetes. Examples include morels and truffles.
