Portal:Fungi

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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 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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Gyromitra esculenta is an ascomycete fungus from the genus Gyromitra, widely distributed across Europe and North America and one of several species of fungi known as false morels. It normally sprouts in sandy soils under coniferous trees, in spring and early summer. The fruiting body, or mushroom, is an irregular brain-shaped cap dark brown in colour which can reach 10 cm (4 in) high and 15 cm (6 in) wide, perched on a stout white stipe up to 6 cm (2.4 in) high.

Although potentially fatal if eaten raw, Gyromitra esculenta is a popular delicacy in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and the upper Great Lakes region of North America. It may be sold fresh in Finland, but it must be accompanied by warnings and instructions on correct preparation. It is eaten in omelettes, soups, or sautéed in Finnish cuisine. Once popular in the Pyrenees, it is now prohibited from sale for consumption in Spain.

Although it is still commonly consumed after parboiling, recent evidence suggests that even this procedure may not make the fungus entirely safe; thus raising concerns of risk even when prepared properly. When consumed, the false morel's principal active agent, gyromitrin, is metabolized into the toxic compound monomethylhydrazine (MMH). The toxin affects the liver, central nervous system, and sometimes the kidneys. Symptoms of poisoning involve vomiting and diarrhea several hours after consumption, followed by dizziness, lethargy and headache. Severe cases may lead to delirium, coma and death after 5–7 days.

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Agaricus texensis, commonly known as the gasteroid agaricus, is a species of fungus in the family Agaricaceae. Found only in southwestern and western North America, it is adapted for growth in dry, semiarid habitats. The fruit bodies are secotioid, meaning the spores are not forcibly discharged, and the cap does not fully expand. Unlike other Agaricus species, A. texensis does not develop true gills, but rather a convoluted and networked system of spore-producing tissue called a gleba. When the partial veil breaks or pulls away from the stem or the cap splits radially, the blackish-brown gleba is exposed to the elements. Formerly named Longula texensis (among several other synonyms), it was shown by molecular analysis in 2004 to be most evolutionarily closely related to Agaricus.

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Credit: Dan Molter

Mycena atkinsoniana is one of the so-called "bleeding mycenas" that will ooze yellow to orange juice when injured.

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Did you know?

... that Cystoderma carcharias is considered an inedible fungus because of an unpleasant odor attributable to the presence of geosmin?
... that a collector said that the mushroom Suillus tomentosus tastes and smells like Tootsie Rolls when dried?
... that the word pyxidata in the mushroom name Clavaria pyxidata comes from the Greek word pyxis meaning "small box"?
... that the mushroom Amanita strobiliformis has been said to smell like bleaching powder?
... that English mycologist and plant pathologist R.W.G. Dennis has 40 fungal species named after him?

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General images - show new batch

The following are images from various fungi-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Typical mating fusion of two compatible monokaryons in Basidiomycota (from Mating in fungi)
Image 2
Driftwood
(from Marine fungi)
Image 3Fungi within Ascomycota form ascogonium and antheridium with trichogyne bridge (from Mating in fungi)
Image 4Phylogenetic and symbiogenetic tree of living organisms, showing a view of the origins of eukaryotes and prokaryotes (from Marine fungi)
Image 5A tinder fungus, Fomes fomentarius (from Mushroom)
Image 6Morphological diversity of fungi collected from a marine sponge species, Ircinia variabilis (from Marine fungi)
Image 7Psychotropic mushroom Amanita muscaria, commonly known as "fly agaric" (from Mushroom)
Image 8
Lichen covered rocks
(from Marine fungi)
Image 9Amanita muscaria, the most easily recognised "toadstool", is frequently depicted in fairy stories and on greeting cards. It is often associated with gnomes. (from Mushroom)
Image 10
Mycoloop links between phytoplankton and zooplankton
Chytrid‐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)
Image 11Tinea corporis (from Fungal infection)
Image 12Morphological characteristics of the caps of mushrooms (from Mushroom)
Image 13Eumycetoma (from Fungal infection)
Image 14Ferula mushroom in Bingöl, Turkey . This is an edible type of mushroom. (from Mushroom)
Image 15Agaricus bisporus mushroom is a cultivated edible mushroom for foods and has many names such as "champignon", " button mushroom", "white mushroom", and " portobello" (from Mushroom)
Image 16Close-up cross section of mushroom. (from Mushroom)
Image 17Boletus edulis, also known as "cep", is an edible wild bolete found in Europe (from Mushroom)
Image 18Young Amanita phalloides "death cap" mushrooms, with a matchbox for size comparison (from Mushroom)
Image 19Mushrooms are considered a kind of fungal reproductive organ. (from Mycology)
Image 20Pennate 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)
Image 21Culinary mushrooms in a diversity of shapes and colors (from Mushroom)
Image 22Ling Zhi-8, an immunomodulatory protein isolated from Ganoderma lucidum (from Medicinal uses of fungi)
Image 23Psilocybe zapotecorum, a hallucinogenic mushroom (from Mushroom)
Image 24Common 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)
Image 25Ganoderma lingzhi (from Mushroom)
Image 26Yellow flower pot mushrooms (Leucocoprinus birnbaumii) at various states of development (from Mushroom)
Image 27Amanita jacksonii buttons emerging from their universal veils (from Mushroom)
Image 28Fungi within Zygomycota form progametangia with suspensors during mating (from Mating in fungi)
Image 29Agaricus bisporus, one of the most widely cultivated and consumed mushrooms (from Mushroom)
Image 30Oral candidiasis (from Fungal infection)
Image 31The blue gills of Lactarius indigo, a milk-cap mushroom (from Mushroom)
Image 32The photochemistry of vitamin D₂ biosynthesis (from Medicinal uses of fungi)
Image 33There are over 100 psychoactive mushroom species of genus Psilocybe native to regions all around the world. (from Mushroom)
Image 34
Roles of fungi in the marine carbon cycle
Roles 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)
Image 35
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)
Image 36Pityriasis versicolor (from Fungal infection)
Image 37A mushroom (probably Russula brevipes) parasitized by Hypomyces lactifluorum resulting in a "lobster mushroom" (from Mushroom)
Image 38Agaricus bitorquis mushroom emerging through asphalt concrete in summer (from Mushroom)
Image 39Maitake, a polypore mushroom (from Mushroom)
Image 40Chytrid 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)
Image 41Neurospora 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)
Image 42Morchella elata asci viewed with phase contrast microscopy (from Mushroom)
Image 43The red yeast rice fungus, Monascus purpureus, can synthesize three statins. (from Medicinal uses of fungi)
Image 44Salmon with fungal disease (from Marine fungi)
Image 45Group photograph taken at a meeting of the British Mycological Society in 1913 (from Mycology)
Image 46Onychomycosis (from Fungal infection)