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Carnivorous fungi or predaceous fungi are fungi
Fungus

A fungus is a Eukaryote organism that is a member of the Kingdom Fungi . The fungi are a monophyletic group, also called the Eumycota , that is phylogeny distinct from the morphologically similar slime molds and water molds ....
 that derive some or most of their nutrient
Nutrient

A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment....
s from trapping and digesting microscopic or other minute animal
Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
s. More than 200 species have been described, belonging to the phyla Ascomycota
Ascomycota

The Ascomycota are a Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya, whose members are commonly known as the Sac Fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 30,000 species....
, Mucoromycotina
Mucoromycotina

Mucormycotina is a fungal grouping.It includes Endogonales, Mucorales, and Mortierellales.References...
, and Basidiomycota
Basidiomycota

Basidiomycota is one of two large phylum that, together with the Ascomycota, comprise the subkingdom Dikarya within the Kingdom Fungi. More specifically the Basidiomycota include mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, bracket fungi, other polypores, jelly fungi, boletes, cantharellus, Geastraceae, smut , common bunt, rust , mirror yeasts, and the...
. They usually live in soil and many species trap or stun nematode
Nematode

The "roundworms" or "nematodes" are the most diverse phylum of body cavity, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 80,000 have been described, of which over 15,000 are parasite....
s (nematophagous fungus
Nematophagous fungus

Nematophagous fungi are carnivorous fungus specialized in trapping and digesting nematodes. Around 160 species are known. There exist both species that live inside the nematodes from the beginning and others that catch them mostly with glue traps or in rings, some of which constrict on contact....
), while others attack amoebae or collembola. Fungi that grow on the epidermis
Epidermis (skin)

The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin, composed of terminally differentiated stratified squamous epithelium, acting as the body's major barrier against an inhospitable environment....
, hair
Hair

Hair is a protein filament that epidermal growth from hair follicle deep within the dermis. The fine, soft hair found on many nonhuman mammals is typically called fur; wool is the characteristically curly hair found on sheep and goats....
, skin
Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body, also known as the epidermis. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial biological tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organ s....
, nails
Nail (anatomy)

A nail is a horn -like structure at the end of an animal's finger or toe. See also claw....
, scales
Scale (zoology)

In most biology nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration....
 or feather
Feather

Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates....
s of living or dead animals are considered to be dermatophytes rather than carnivores.






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Encyclopedia


Carnivorous fungi or predaceous fungi are fungi
Fungus

A fungus is a Eukaryote organism that is a member of the Kingdom Fungi . The fungi are a monophyletic group, also called the Eumycota , that is phylogeny distinct from the morphologically similar slime molds and water molds ....
 that derive some or most of their nutrient
Nutrient

A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment....
s from trapping and digesting microscopic or other minute animal
Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
s. More than 200 species have been described, belonging to the phyla Ascomycota
Ascomycota

The Ascomycota are a Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya, whose members are commonly known as the Sac Fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 30,000 species....
, Mucoromycotina
Mucoromycotina

Mucormycotina is a fungal grouping.It includes Endogonales, Mucorales, and Mortierellales.References...
, and Basidiomycota
Basidiomycota

Basidiomycota is one of two large phylum that, together with the Ascomycota, comprise the subkingdom Dikarya within the Kingdom Fungi. More specifically the Basidiomycota include mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, bracket fungi, other polypores, jelly fungi, boletes, cantharellus, Geastraceae, smut , common bunt, rust , mirror yeasts, and the...
. They usually live in soil and many species trap or stun nematode
Nematode

The "roundworms" or "nematodes" are the most diverse phylum of body cavity, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 80,000 have been described, of which over 15,000 are parasite....
s (nematophagous fungus
Nematophagous fungus

Nematophagous fungi are carnivorous fungus specialized in trapping and digesting nematodes. Around 160 species are known. There exist both species that live inside the nematodes from the beginning and others that catch them mostly with glue traps or in rings, some of which constrict on contact....
), while others attack amoebae or collembola. Fungi that grow on the epidermis
Epidermis (skin)

The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin, composed of terminally differentiated stratified squamous epithelium, acting as the body's major barrier against an inhospitable environment....
, hair
Hair

Hair is a protein filament that epidermal growth from hair follicle deep within the dermis. The fine, soft hair found on many nonhuman mammals is typically called fur; wool is the characteristically curly hair found on sheep and goats....
, skin
Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body, also known as the epidermis. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial biological tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organ s....
, nails
Nail (anatomy)

A nail is a horn -like structure at the end of an animal's finger or toe. See also claw....
, scales
Scale (zoology)

In most biology nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration....
 or feather
Feather

Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates....
s of living or dead animals are considered to be dermatophytes rather than carnivores. Similarly fungi in orifices and the digestive tract of animals are not carnivorous, and neither are internal pathogens. Neither are insect
Insect

Insects are the biggest class of arthropods and the only ones with wings. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. They are most diverse at the equator and their diversity declines toward the poles....
 pathogens that stun and colonize insects normally labelled carnivorous if the fungal thallus is mainly in the insect as does Cordyceps
Cordyceps

Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi that includes about 400 described species. All Cordyceps species are Parasitoid#Types_of_parasitoids, mainly on insects and other arthropods ; a few are parasitic on other fungi....
, or if it clings to the insect like the Laboulbeniales
Laboulbeniales

The Laboulbeniales are an order of fungi within the class Lecanoromycetes.These include the obligate insect parasites, with cellular thalli, predisposing this fungi to certain death without an insect host....
.

Two basic trapping mechanisms have been observed in carnivorous fungi that are predatory on nematodes:
  • constricting rings (active traps)
  • adhesive structures (passive traps)


Sequencing of ribosomal DNA
Ribosomal DNA

Ribosomal DNA are sequences encoding RRNA. These sequences regulate amplification and Transcription_ initiation and contain transcribed and nontranscribed spacer segments....
 has shown that these trap types occur in separate fungus lineages, an example of convergent evolution
Convergent evolution

Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action....
.

See also

  • Carnivorous plant
    Carnivorous plant

    Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods....
  • Protocarnivorous plant
    Protocarnivorous plant

    A protocarnivorous plant , according to some definitions, traps and kills insects or other animals but lacks the ability to either directly digestion or absorb nutrients from its prey like a carnivorous plant....
  • Predatory dinoflagellate
    Predatory dinoflagellate

    Predatory dinoflagellates are predatory heterotrophic or mixotrophic Alveolata protists that derive some or most of their nutrients from digesting other organisms....
  • Category:Carnivorous_fungi


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