fungi
A fungus is any member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms.
The Fungi Portal
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The Fungi are classified as a kingdom that is separate from plants and animals. The discipline of biology devoted to the study of fungi is known as mycology or fungal biology, which is historically regarded as a branch of botany, even though genetic studies have shown that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. Fungi reproduce via spores and grow as hyphae, mycelia, and futher specialized structures. Fungal spores are often produced on specialized structures or in fruiting bodies, such as the head of a mushroom. Abundant worldwide, most fungi are mostly invisible to the naked eye because of the small size of their structures, and their cryptic lifestyles in soil, on dead matter, and as symbionts of plants, animals, or other fungi. Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange. They have long been used as a direct source of food, such as mushrooms and truffles, as a leavening agent for bread, and in fermentation of various food products, such as wine, beer, and soy sauce.
Since the 1940s, fungi have been used for the production of antibiotics, and, more recently, various enzymes produced by fungi are used industrially and in detergents. Fungi are also used as biological agents to control weeds and pests. Many species produce bioactive compounds called mycotoxins, such as alkaloids and polyketides, that are toxic to animals including humans. The fruiting structures of a few species are consumed recreationally or in traditional ceremonies as a source of psychotropic compounds. Fungi can break down manufactured materials and buildings, and become significant pathogens of humans and other animals. Losses of crops due to fungal diseases or food spoilage can have a large impact on human food supplies and local economies. Despite their importance on human affairs, little is known of the true biodiversity of Kingdom Fungi, which has been estimated at around 1.5 million species, with about 5% of these having been formally classified.
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Generally considered inedible, Cyathus species are saprobic, since they obtain nutrients from decomposing organic matter. They usually grow on decaying wood or woody debris, on cow and horse dung, or directly on humus-rich soil. The life cycle of this genus allows it to reproduce both sexually, with meiosis, and asexually via spores. Several Cyathus species produce bioactive compounds, some with medicinal properties, and several lignin-degrading enzymes from the genus may be useful in bioremediation and agriculture. Phylogenetic analysis is providing new insights into the evolutionary relationships between the various species in Cyathus, and has cast doubt on the validity of the older classification systems that are based on traditional taxonomic characteristics.
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Things to do
If you want to help Wikipedia to improve its coverage of fungi, here are some things you can do...
- Assess some fungi articles.
- Join Wiki: WikiProject Fungi or ask on the talk page.
- Join the lichen task force.
- Review, improve, expand or clean some of the newly created fungi-related articles.
- Expand some high priority fungus stubs.
- Expand or sort other fungi-related stubs.
- Add images to articles in the list of unillustrated fungi articles, or add more articles to the list.
- Write fungi-related articles from scratch. For ideas of needed articles, see the redlinks on-
- Review the fungi articles flagged as needing attention.
WikiProjects
WikiProjects related to fungi:
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Did you know?
- ... that species in the fungal genus Wynnea (W. americana, pictured) have asci that are capped by a hinged operculum?
- ... that species in the fungal genus Ameliella have been found in the Skibotn area in central Northern Norway, a hotspot of lichen species diversity?
- ... that upon coming in contact with an alkali solution, the hairs of the fungus Microstoma floccosum will swell and then dissolve?
- ... that the grisette is enjoyed by cows?
- ... that the yellow earth tongue has been described as a fungus one is likely to find while looking for something else?
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Close-up cross section of mushroom. (from Mushroom) -
Typical mating fusion of two compatible monokaryons in Basidiomycota (from Mating in fungi) -
There are over 100 psychoactive mushroom species of genus Psilocybe native to regions all around the world. (from Mushroom) -
Fungi within Zygomycota form progametangia with suspensors during mating (from Mating in fungi) -
The photochemistry of vitamin D2 biosynthesis (from Medicinal uses of fungi) -
Amanita jacksonii buttons emerging from their universal veils (from Mushroom) -
Agaricus bisporus, one of the most widely cultivated and consumed mushrooms (from Mushroom) -
Psilocybe zapotecorum, a hallucinogenic mushroom (from Mushroom) -
Mycoloop links between phytoplankton and zooplanktonChytrid‐mediated trophic links between phytoplankton and zooplankton (mycoloop). While small phytoplankton species can be grazed upon by zooplankton, large phytoplankton species constitute poorly edible or even inedible prey. Chytrid infections on large phytoplankton can induce changes in palatability, as a result of host aggregation (reduced edibility) or mechanistic fragmentation of cells or filaments (increased palatability). First, chytrid parasites extract and repack nutrients and energy from their hosts in form of readily edible zoospores. Second, infected and fragmented hosts including attached sporangia can also be ingested by grazers (i.e. concomitant predation). (from Marine fungi) -
Amanita muscaria, the most easily recognised "toadstool", is frequently depicted in fairy stories and on greeting cards. It is often associated with gnomes. (from Mushroom) -
Tinea corporis (from Fungal infection) -
Agaricus bisporus mushroom is a cultivated edible mushroom for foods and has many names such as "champignon", " button mushroom", "white mushroom", and " portobello" (from Mushroom) -
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Ganoderma lingzhi (from Mushroom) -
Diagram of a mycoloop (fungus loop)Parasitic chytrids can transfer material from large inedible phytoplankton to zooplankton. Chytrids zoospores are excellent food for zooplankton in terms of size (2–5 μm in diameter), shape, nutritional quality (rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterols). Large colonies of host phytoplankton may also be fragmented by chytrid infections and become edible to zooplankton. (from Marine fungi) -
A tinder fungus, Fomes fomentarius (from Mushroom) -
Oral candidiasis (from Fungal infection) -
Lichen covered rocks(from Marine fungi) -
Psychotropic mushroom Amanita muscaria, commonly known as "fly agaric" (from Mushroom) -
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Yellow flower pot mushrooms (Leucocoprinus birnbaumii) at various states of development (from Mushroom) -
Morphological diversity of fungi collected from a marine sponge species, Ircinia variabilis (from Marine fungi) -
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Neurospora crassa life cycle. The haploid mycelium reproduces asexually by two processes: (1) simple proliferation of existing mycelium, and (2) formation of conidia (macro- and micro-) which can be dispersed and then germinate to produce new mycelium. In the sexual cycle, mating can only occur between individual strains of different mating type, A and a. Fertilization occurs by the passage of nuclei of conidia or mycelium of one mating type into the protoperithecia of the opposite mating type through the trichogyne. Fusion of the nuclei of opposite mating types occurs within the protoperithecium to form a zygote (2N) nucleus. (from Mating in fungi) -
A mushroom (probably Russula brevipes) parasitized by Hypomyces lactifluorum resulting in a "lobster mushroom" (from Mushroom) -
Young Amanita phalloides "death cap" mushrooms, with a matchbox for size comparison (from Mushroom) -
Culinary mushrooms in a diversity of shapes and colors (from Mushroom) -
Eumycetoma (from Fungal infection) -
Phylogenetic and symbiogenetic tree of living organisms, showing a view of the origins of eukaryotes and prokaryotes (from Marine fungi) -
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The red yeast rice fungus, Monascus purpureus, can synthesize three statins. (from Medicinal uses of fungi) -
Fungi within Ascomycota form ascogonium and antheridium with trichogyne bridge (from Mating in fungi) -
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Ling Zhi-8, an immunomodulatory protein isolated from Ganoderma lucidum (from Medicinal uses of fungi) -
Driftwood(from Marine fungi) -
Roles of fungi in the marine carbon cycleRoles of fungi in the marine carbon cycle by processing phytoplankton-derived organic matter. Parasitic fungi, as well as saprotrophic fungi, directly assimilate phytoplankton organic carbon. By releasing zoospores, the fungi bridge the trophic linkage to zooplankton, known as the mycoloop. By modifying the particulate and dissolved organic carbon, they can affect bacteria and the microbial loop. These processes may modify marine snow chemical composition and the subsequent functioning of the biological carbon pump. (from Marine fungi) -
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Morphological characteristics of the caps of mushrooms (from Mushroom) -
Pityriasis versicolor (from Fungal infection) -
Group photograph taken at a meeting of the British Mycological Society in 1913 (from Mycology) -
![Image 41Pennate diatom from an Arctic meltpond, infected with two chytrid-like [zoo-]sporangium fungal pathogens (in false-colour red). Scale bar = 10 µm. (from Marine fungi)](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Pennate_diatom_infected_with_two_chytrid-like_fungal_pathogens.png/120px-Pennate_diatom_infected_with_two_chytrid-like_fungal_pathogens.png)
Pennate diatom from an Arctic meltpond, infected with two chytrid-like [zoo-]sporangium fungal pathogens (in false-colour red). Scale bar = 10 µm. (from Marine fungi) -
Onychomycosis (from Fungal infection) -
Maitake, a polypore mushroom (from Mushroom) -
Chytrid parasites of marine diatoms. (A) Chytrid sporangia on Pleurosigma sp. The white arrow indicates the operculate discharge pore. (B) Rhizoids (white arrow) extending into diatom host. (C) Chlorophyll aggregates localized to infection sites (white arrows). (D and E) Single hosts bearing multiple zoosporangia at different stages of development. The white arrow in panel E highlights branching rhizoids. (F) Endobiotic chytrid-like sporangia within diatom frustule. Bars = 10 μm. (from Marine fungi) -
Common puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum) has a glebal hymenium; the interior is white when it is young, but as it matures, the interior becomes brown containing spores (from Mushroom) -
Salmon with fungal disease (from Marine fungi)
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![Image 41Pennate diatom from an Arctic meltpond, infected with two chytrid-like [zoo-]sporangium fungal pathogens (in false-colour red). Scale bar = 10 µm. (from Marine fungi)](/wiki/en/File:Pennate_diatom_infected_with_two_chytrid-like_fungal_pathogens.png)
Related portals
Topics
- Main topics lists: Outline of fungi and Outline of lichens
- Fungi: Bracket fungus, carnivorous fungus, coprophilous fungi, entomopathogenic fungus, evolution of fungi, lichen, mushroom, mycology (lichenology, mycotoxicology, paleomycology), mycorrhiza, pathogenic fungi, puffball, wood-decay fungus
- Fungal orders: Chytridiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Zygomycota, Glomeromycota. Dikarya: Ascomycota, Basidiomycota
- Fungi lists: Species: Agaricus species, Amanita species, Boletus species, Cortinarius species, Cyathus species, Hygrocybe species, Hygrophorus species, Inocybe species, Lactarius species, Mycosphaerella species, Panaeolus species, Psilocybe species, Russula species, Scleroderma species Other lists: Mycology journals, psilocybin mushrooms
- Uses: Edible mushroom, mushroom poisoning, psilocybin mushrooms, mushroom hunting, fungiculture, fermentation, baker's yeast, mycoremediation, lichenometry, mushroom dye
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