SYNOPTIC DESCRIPTION OF THE PHYLUM BASIDIOMYCOTA
| EUKARYA> OPISTHOKONTA> UNIKONTA> FUNGI> DIKARYA> BASIDIOMYCOTA |
BASIDIOMYCOTA LINKS
| This description is drawn from Adl et al. (2005 and 2012), Hibbett et al. (2007), Alexopoulos and Mims (1979), Alexopoulos et al. (1996), Bold et al. (1987), and Scagel et al. (1984). |
I. SYNONYMS: basidiomycetes, mushrooms
II. NUMBER: > 12,000 species.
III. PHYLUM CHARACTERISTICS:
- A. ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION: When produced, asexual spores are conidial (text with tooltip) Asexual reproductive spores formed on a conidiophore. .
- B. SEXUAL REPRODUCTION:
Basidiospores
(text with tooltip)
Sexually produced fungal spore borne on a basidium.
produced on a
basidium
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Microscopic structures at the end of hyphae in which fungi produce spores.
; nuclear fusion in the basidium followed by meiosis and the production of 4 exogenous basidiospores, each on a stalk (
sterigma
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A slender projection of the basidium where spores are attached.
), usually violently discharged by a drop-excretion method as
ballistospores
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A spore forcefully ejected from its source.
.
- Life Cycles of:
- C. VEGETATIVE HYPHAE: Dikaryophase (text with tooltip) Portion of life cycle during which cells are dikaryotic. dominant; hyphae septate with dolipore septa (text with tooltip) Septum between two portions of a cell of hypha. Contains central pore around which the septum is swollen to form a barrel-shaped structure. , often with clamp connections (text with tooltip) Short branches on many dikaryotic basidiomycetous hyphae, providing a bypass for one of the nuclei produced during synchronous division of the dikaryon, insuring their equal distribution between the new cells; croziers are possible homologues. .
- D. CELL WALLS: Chitin and glucan (text with tooltip) A group of polysaccharide sugars. .
- E. ECOLOGY: These are parasites (rusts and smuts) and free-living saprobes.
| By Jack R. Holt and Carlos A. Iudica. Last revised: 03/16/2013 |
