A
basidiocarp,
basidiome or
basidioma (plural:
basidiomata), is the
sporocarpIn fungi, the sporocarp is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are born...
of a basidiomycete, the multi-cellular structure on which the
sporeIn biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions...
-producing
hymeniumThe hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia or...
is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes;
rustsUrediniomycetes is a diverse class of fungi that includes several important plant pathogens causing forms of fungal rust. It is the only class in the subdivision Teliomycotina of basidiomycetes.-Characteristics:...
and
smutsUstilaginomycetes is the class of true smut fungi. They are plant parasites with about 1400 recognised species in 70 genera....
do not produce such structures. As with other sporocarps, epigeous (above-ground) basidiocarps that are visible to the naked eye (especially those with a more or less agaricoid morphology) are commonly referred to as mushrooms, while hypogeous (underground) basidiocarps are usually called false truffles.
All basidiocarps serve as the structure on which the hymenium is produced.
A
basidiocarp,
basidiome or
basidioma (plural:
basidiomata), is the
sporocarpIn fungi, the sporocarp is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are born...
of a basidiomycete, the multi-cellular structure on which the
sporeIn biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions...
-producing
hymeniumThe hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia or...
is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes;
rustsUrediniomycetes is a diverse class of fungi that includes several important plant pathogens causing forms of fungal rust. It is the only class in the subdivision Teliomycotina of basidiomycetes.-Characteristics:...
and
smutsUstilaginomycetes is the class of true smut fungi. They are plant parasites with about 1400 recognised species in 70 genera....
do not produce such structures. As with other sporocarps, epigeous (above-ground) basidiocarps that are visible to the naked eye (especially those with a more or less agaricoid morphology) are commonly referred to as mushrooms, while hypogeous (underground) basidiocarps are usually called false truffles.
Structure
All basidiocarps serve as the structure on which the hymenium is produced. Basidia are found on the surface of the hymenium, and the basidia ultimately produce spores. In its simplest form, a basidiocarp consists of an undifferentiated fruiting structure with a hymenium on the surface; such a structure is characteristic of many simple
jellyThe class Heterobasidiomycetes or jelly fungi is a paraphyletic group of several fungal orders: Tremellales, Auriculariales, Dacrymycetales. These fungi are so named because their foliose to irregularly branched fruiting body is, or appears to be, the consistency of jelly. Actually, many are...
and club fungi. In more complex basidiocarps, there is differentiation into a
stipethumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with a [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
, a
pileusThe pileus is the technical name for what is commonly known as the cap of a fungal fruiting body. It is particularly characteristic of agarics, boletes, and some polypores, tooth fungi, and ascocarps. Other sporocarp types have less clear differentiation between the pileus and the rest of the...
, and/or various types of hymenophores.
Types
Basidiocarps are classified into various types of growth forms based on the degree of differentiation into a stipe, pileus, and hymenophore, as well as the type of hymenophore, if present.
Growth forms include:
- jelly fungus – fruiting body is an undifferentiated mass of jelly-like tissue.
- club fungus and coral fungus – erect fruiting body without a distinct stipe and pileus, either unbranched (club fungus) or profusely branched (coral fungus).
- polypore
Polypores are a group of tough, leathery poroid mushrooms similar to boletes, but typically lacking a distinct stalk. The technical distinction between the two types of mushrooms is that polypores do not have the spore-bearing tissue continuous along the entire underside of the mushroom. Many...
– fruiting body is hard, woody, and perennial, and often grows shelf-like on the side of a tree or log. Polypores have a pileus, and usually (but not always) tubes and no stipe.
- cantharelloid fungus – fruiting body with shallow fold-like lamellae running over most of the lower surface of the fruiting body and not much differentiation between the stipe and pileus.
- tooth fungus
Tooth fungi are a relatively small polyphyletic group of fungi whose mushroom bears its spores on a hymenium - a layer of "mother cells" -Although many tooth fungi are hard and inedible, some are prized both for their flavor and their ease of identification, such as Hericium erinaceus, the "bearded...
or "hydnoid fungus" – fruiting body with tooth-like hymenophores.
- gasteromycete or "gastroid fungus" – fruiting body has a ball-like shape and in which the hymenophore has become entirely enclosed on the inside of the fruiting body.
- false truffle – like a gasteromycete, however, but with a hypogeous (underground) fruiting body.
- secotioid fungus
Secotioid fungi are an intermediate growth form between hymenomycetes and gasteromycetes or hypogeous fungi where gasteromycetation has occurred. Secotioid lack the geotropic orientation of the hymenophore, and basidiospores are not forcibly discharged, thus they are statismospores....
– like a gasteromycete, but with stipe. Though to be an evolutionarily intermediate stage between a gasteromycete and an agaric.
- agaric
An agaric is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe , with lamellae on the underside of the pileus. "Agaric" can also refer to a basidiomycete species characterized by an agaric-type fruiting body...
or "agaricoid fungus" – fruiting body with a pileus, lamellae, and (usually) a stipe.
- bolete
A bolete is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe, with a spongy surface of pores on the underside of the pileus...
– fruiting body with a pileus, a stipe, and tubes.
Basic divisions of
AgaricomycotinaThe subphylum Agaricomycotina, also known as the hymenomycetes, is one of three taxa of the fungal division Basidiomycota . The Agaricomycotina contain some 20,000 species, and about 98% of these are in the class Agaricomycetes: most of the fungi known as mushrooms, including the bracket fungi and...
were formerly based entirely upon the growth form of the mushroom. Molecular phylogenetic investigation (as well as supporting evidence from micromorphology and
chemotaxonomyChemotaxonomy , also called chemosystematics, is the attempt to classify and identify organisms , according to demonstrable differences and similarities in their biochemical compositions. The compounds studied in most of the cases are mostly proteins, amino acids and peptides...
) has since demonstrated that similar types of basidiomycete growth form are often examples of
convergent evolutionConvergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are similar in...
and do not always reflect a close relationship between different groups of fungi. For example, agarics have arisen independently in the
AgaricalesThe fungal order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms , or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The order has 33 families, 413 genera, and 13233 species...
, the
BoletalesThe Boletales are an order of agaricomycetes, containing over 1300 species with a diverse array of fruiting body types. The boletes are the best known members of this group, and until recently, the Boletales were thought to only contain boletes...
, the
RussulalesRussulales is an order of the Agaricomycetes, ....
, and other groups, while secotioid fungi and false truffles have arisen independently many times just within the Agaricales.
http://www.mykoweb.com/articles/Homobasidiomycete_clades.html
External links