What are basidiomycetes?
Basidiomycota, large and diverse phylum of fungi (kingdom Fungi) that includes jelly and shelf fungi; mushrooms, puffballs, and stinkhorns; certain yeasts; and the rusts and smuts. Basidiomycota are typically filamentous fungi composed of hyphae.
What are the characteristics of Basidiomycota?
Basidiomycetes characteristics
- These are filamentous fungi made up of hyphae only except for basidiomycota-yeast.
- They are reproduced sexually with the formation of club-shaped end cells known as basidia which usually carry external meiospores (usually four).
- These specific spores are termed as basidiospores.
Are basidiomycetes edible?
Specifically in the context of human use, the basidiomycetes are a highly valuable food source and are increasingly medicinally important.
How do basidiomycetes get their name?
Basidiomycetes are named after the basidium, a club-shaped structure upon which (usually) four haploid basidiospores (the result of karyogamy and meiosis in the sexual reproductive process) are perched.
Is Basidiomycota poisonous?
For the untrained, mushroom-hunting is a risky endeavor, because some Basidiomycota produce deadly toxins (Benjamin 1995). The basidiomycete toxin phalloidin (from the mushroom Amanita phalloides) binds actin, which is a component of microfilaments.
Are basidiomycetes harmful?
Some species of Basidiomycota are pathogens for both plants and animals. However, they are not all harmful. Some form symbiotic relationships with the roots of vascular plants. The bastidiomycota help the plants obtain nutrients from the soil, and in return recieve sugars produced through photosynthesis.
Are agaricomycetes poisonous?
The vast majority of edible fungi are agaricomycetes, with the exception of the truffles and morels, which are ascomycete species. The most toxic fungi are also agaricomycetes however, such as the death cap, Amanita phalloides, which is responsible for the majority of fatal mushroom poisonings (Litten 1975).