Emily Johnson
Basidiomycetes are a large and diverse phylum of fungi that includes mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, jelly fungi, and many other types of fungi. The mushrooms in this group are typically identified by their club-shaped fruiting bodies, called basidia, which are the swollen terminal cells of a hypha. These basidia are the reproductive organs of the fungi and are often contained within the familiar mushroom. The lifecycle of basidiomycetes includes alternation of generations, with spores generally produced through sexual reproduction. The club-shaped basidia carry spores called basidiospores, which are typically four in number. While most basidiomycetes reproduce sexually, some reproduce asexually. The mushrooms in the Basidiomycetes group include the classic mushroom, chanterelles, shiitake, enoki, oyster mushrooms, and many others.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Division | Basidiomycota is one of the two large divisions that constitute the subkingdom Dikarya, often referred to as "higher fungi". |
| Members | Members of Basidiomycota are known as basidiomycetes. |
| Groups | Basidiomycota includes agarics, puffballs, stinkhorns, bracket fungi, jelly fungi, boletes, chanterelles, earth stars, smuts, bunts, rusts, mirror yeasts, and Cryptococcus. |
| Composition | Basidiomycota are filamentous fungi composed of hyphae (except for basidiomycota-yeast). |
| Reproduction | Basidiomycota reproduces 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. However, some Basidiomycota are obligate asexual reproducers. |
| Identification | The most important microscopic feature for identification of mushrooms is the spores. Their color, shape, size, attachment, ornamentation, and reaction to chemical tests are crucial. |
| Lifecycle | The lifecycle of basidiomycetes includes alternation of generations, with a prolonged stage in which two nuclei (dikaryon) are present in the hyphae. |
| Habitat | Basidiomycota are known from both terrestrial and aquatic habitats around the world. |
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What You'll Learn
Gills and spores
The gills of a mushroom are the compacted hyphae on which the basidia are borne. The basidia are the reproductive organs of the fungi and are club-shaped. They are the swollen terminal cells of a hypha and are often contained within the mushroom. The gills are found on the underside of the mushroom cap, and the basidia are borne on these gills.
The basidia carry spores called basidiospores. These spores are produced through sexual reproduction, with the fusion of two different mating strains. This gives rise to a diploid zygote that undergoes meiosis. The haploid nuclei then migrate into the basidiospores, which generate monokaryotic hyphae. The resulting mycelium is called a primary mycelium.
Mycelia of different mating strains can combine and produce a secondary mycelium, which contains haploid nuclei of two different mating strains. This is the dikaryotic stage of the basidiomycete life cycle. The secondary mycelium then generates a basidiocarp, which is a fruiting body that protrudes from the ground and is recognised as a mushroom.
The number of spores per basidium varies. While most species produce four spores, some species form only two spores per basidium, and others can produce up to eight.
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Jelly and shelf fungi
Basidiomycota is a large and 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 and reproduce sexually via the formation of specialised club-shaped end cells called basidia that normally bear external spores (usually four). These specialised spores are called basidiospores.
Jelly fungi are a group of several heterobasidiomycete fungal orders from different classes of the subphylum Agaricomycotina: Tremellales, Dacrymycetales, Auriculariales and Sebacinales. They are called jelly fungi because their foliose, irregularly branched fruiting body is, or appears to be, the consistency of jelly. Many species are gelatinous and rubbery, and some dry out and shrink, only to return to their original form when exposed to water. Many species of jelly fungi can be eaten raw, and some, like Tremella fuciformis, are prized for use in soups and vegetable dishes. Poisonous jelly fungi are rare and may not even exist, but many species have an unpalatable texture or taste.
The ear fungus (Auricularia auricula-judae) is a brown, gelatinous edible jelly fungus found on dead tree trunks in moist weather in the autumn. It is ear- or shell-shaped and sometimes acts as a parasite, especially on elder trees.
Shelf fungi, on the other hand, are so-called because they cling to the bark of trees like small shelves. They are also known as "gill fungi" due to the presence of gill-like structures on the underside of the cap. The “gills” are actually compacted hyphae on which the basidia are borne.
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Rusts and smuts
Rusts
Rusts are considered the most dangerous pathogens to agriculture, forestry, and horticulture. They are parasites that affect a variety of economically important crops, including wheat, white pine, soybean, and coffee. Wheat stem rust, soybean rust, and coffee rust are examples of rusts that can severely reduce the yield and growth of their host plants. Rusts have specific patterns of association with host plant groups, parasitizing them. Examples of host plants parasitized by rusts include Uromyces and Puccinia.
Rusted plants can be identified by the presence of yellowish columns on the underside of needles, which are called aecia. These aecia release aeciospores that can infect other plants. On infected plants, swellings may appear under the bark of younger branches, eventually bursting open to release spores. The spores produced by rusts include uredospores and teleutospores, which are formed during leaf rust.
Smuts
Smuts are multicellular fungi characterized by their large numbers of teliospores, which are dark, thick-walled, and dust-like. The word "smut" comes from a Germanic word for "dirt," referring to the appearance of these teliospores. Smuts are mostly Ustilaginomycetes and comprise seven of the 15 orders of the subphylum. The two most common orders are Ustilaginales and Tilletiales.
Smuts cause plant diseases and can infect a wide range of hosts in several monocot and dicot plant families. They are particularly harmful to cereal and crop plants, such as members of the grass family (Poaceae) and sedges (Cyperaceae). In addition to affecting economically important crops, smuts can also infect wild rice species. For example, Ustilago esculenta is a species of fungus that invades Manchurian wild rice, causing hypertrophy and destroying the plant's flowering structures.
Some common types of smut include corn smut (Ustilago maydis), bunt, stinking smut of wheat (Tilletia spp.), and loose smut of oats (Ustilago avenae). Corn smut infects maize, turning the kernels into black, powdery fungal tissues. It is considered a delicacy in Mexico, where it is used in various recipes such as stews, soups, and steak dishes.
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Toadstools and puffballs
The term "toadstool" first appeared in 14th-century England, referring to a “stool” for toads and implying a poisonous fungus. Toadstools are among the many mushrooms that are classified as basidiomycetes, which are members of the Basidiomycota phylum. Basidiomycota is one of two large divisions that, together with Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya, often referred to as the "higher fungi". Basidiomycetes typically reproduce sexually through the formation of club-shaped end cells called basidia, which bear external spores called basidiospores.
Basidiomycota includes groups such as agarics, puffballs, stinkhorns, bracket fungi, jelly fungi, boletes, and chanterelles. Puffballs, or fungi that produce powdery spores, are part of the Gasteromycetes class, which is now considered obsolete. This class included species that mostly lacked hymenia and formed spores in enclosed fruit bodies.
Puffballs are stalkless but may have a supporting base. They are considered "mushrooms" in the loose sense of the word, which is often used to describe the fleshy fruiting bodies of some Ascomycota. The term "mushroom" is also applied to fungi that have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae) on the underside of the cap, such as the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus.
Basidiomycetes include many edible fungi, but some also produce deadly toxins. The delineation between edible and poisonous fungi is not always clear-cut, and identifying a mushroom requires an understanding of its macroscopic and microscopic structure. The most important features for identification are the spores, including their colour, shape, size, attachment, ornamentation, and reaction to chemical tests.
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Chanterelles and agarics
Chanterelles are a popular type of mushroom that belongs to the family Cantharellaceae. They are known for their funnel shapes and fruit-scented flesh. Unlike other funnel-shaped agarics, chanterelles do not have gills under their caps, where the spores develop. Instead, they typically have ridged undersides. Chanterelles grow on soil or leaf litter and often recur in the same place for many years. They are easily distinguishable from other mushrooms due to their unique characteristics.
Agarics, on the other hand, are a diverse group of mushrooms that have traditionally been classified based on the presence of gills, or thin sheets of spore-bearing cells, and mushroom-shaped fruiting bodies. However, modern classification of agarics is based on genetic relatedness, so they may or may not exhibit these characteristics. Agarics encompass a wide range of species, including the well-known family Agaricaceae, which contains fungi with mushroom fruiting bodies, as well as puffballs.
The lifecycle of both chanterelles and agarics, as members of Basidiomycota, involves the alternation of generations. They typically reproduce sexually, with the fusion of two different mating strains resulting in the formation of spores called basidiospores. These spores develop on the gills or ridged undersides of the mushroom caps.
Both chanterelles and agarics offer a variety of species with distinct characteristics, contributing to the diverse and fascinating world of Basidiomycota mushrooms.
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Frequently asked questions
Basidiomycetes are members of the Basidiomycota, one of two large divisions of the subkingdom Dikarya, which is often referred to as the "higher fungi".
Some mushrooms that are Basidiomycetes include the common fairy-ring mushroom, shiitake, enoki, oyster mushrooms, fly agarics, and other Amanitas.
Basidiomycetes typically reproduce sexually through the fusion of two different mating strains, forming a diploid zygote that undergoes meiosis to produce spores called basidiospores.
Basidiomycetes are characterised by their club-shaped fruiting bodies called basidia, which are the swollen terminal cells of a hypha. They often have gill-like structures on the underside of their caps, giving rise to the term "gill fungi".
To identify a mushroom as a Basidiomycete, one must examine its macroscopic and microscopic structures. Characteristics such as the presence of gills, spores, colours, shapes, sizes, and reactions to chemical tests are crucial for accurate identification.
