Portal:Fungi

The Fungi Portal

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 further 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.

More about fungi...

Selected article

Suillus brevipes is a species of fungus in the family Boletaceae. First described by American mycologists in the late 1800s, it is commonly known as the stubby-stalk or the short-stemmed slippery Jack. The fruit bodies (mushrooms) produced by the fungus are characterized by a chocolate to reddish-brown cap covered with a sticky layer of slime, and a short whitish stem that does not have a partial veil. The cap can reach a diameter of about 10 cm (3.9 in), while the stem is up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long and 2 cm (0.8 in) thick. Like other bolete mushrooms, S. brevipes produces spores in a vertically arranged layer of spongy tubes with openings that form a layer of small yellowish pores on the underside of the cap.

Suillus brevipes grows in a mycorrhizal association with various species of coniferous trees, especially lodgepole and ponderosa pine. The fungus is found throughout North America, and has been introduced to several other countries via transplanted pines. In the succession of mycorrhizal fungi associated with the regrowth of jack pine after clearcutting or wildfires, S. brevipes is a multi-stage fungus, found during all stages of tree development. The mushrooms are edible, and are high in the essential fatty acid linoleic acid.

Selected species

Mycena flavoalba, commonly known as the ivory bonnet, is a species of inedible mushroom in the family Mycenaceae. The cap is initially conical in shape, before becoming convex and then flattening out; it may reach dimensions of up to 1.5 cm (0.6 in) across. The cap color is ivory-white to yellowish white, sometimes more yellowish at the center. The tubular stems are up to 8 cm (3.1 in) long and 2.5 mm (0.10 in) thick, and have long, coarse white hairs at their bases. The mushroom is found in Europe, the Middle East, and North America, where it grows scattered or in dense groups under conifers and on humus in oak woods.

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 Wikipedia: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-
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Fungi/List of unwritten articles (high priority)
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Missing encyclopedic articles/Skysmith's list of missing articles/Biology/Fungi
- Members of Category:Lists of fungal species
Review the fungi articles flagged as needing attention.

WikiProjects

WikiProjects related to fungi:

WikiProject Science
- WikiProject Biology
  - WikiProject Tree of Life
    - WikiProject Fungi
WikiProject Medicine
WikiProject Food

What are WikiProjects?

Selected picture

The "shaggy parasol" mushroom, species Chlorophyllum rhacodes, with the cap not yet opened.

Did you know?

... that while commonly found in central California, Agaricus lilaceps can sometimes be found at the campus of Stanford University under the eucalyptus located there?
... that Nidula niveo-tomentosa, a bird's nest fungus in the genus Nidula, produces a chemical that is a major component of raspberry flavor?
... that the white bird's nest mushroom Crucibulum laeve produces a chemical that inhibits an enzyme implicated in the formation of cataracts in individuals with diabetes mellitus?
... that the edibility of the small woodland mushroom Agaricus semotus is disputed, with some sources claiming edibility and others warning of gastrointestinal discomfort?
... that, despite being the type species of the genus Cortinarius, the colour of the mushroom Cortinarius violaceus is so dark it is only comparable with members of other genera?

General images -

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

Image 1Group photograph taken at a meeting of the British Mycological Society in 1913 (from Mycology)
Image 2Young Amanita phalloides "death cap" mushrooms, with a matchbox for size comparison (from Mushroom)
Image 3There are over 100 psychoactive mushroom species of genus Psilocybe native to regions all around the world. (from Mushroom)
Image 4
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 5
Lichen covered rocks
(from Marine fungi)
Image 6Mature Mycena leaiana, a kind of Mushroom, in Mount Field National Park. (from Mycology)
Image 7Tinea corporis (from Fungal infection)
Image 8Agaricus bisporus, one of the most widely cultivated and consumed mushrooms (from Mushroom)
Image 9
Driftwood
(from Marine fungi)
Image 10Fungi within Ascomycota form ascogonium and antheridium with trichogyne bridge (from Mating in fungi)
Image 11Maitake, a polypore mushroom (from Mushroom)
Image 12Oral candidiasis (from Fungal infection)
Image 13Morphological diversity of fungi collected from a marine sponge species, Ircinia variabilis (from Marine fungi)
Image 14Fungi within Zygomycota form progametangia with suspensors during mating (from Mating in fungi)
Image 15A mushroom (probably Russula brevipes) parasitized by Hypomyces lactifluorum resulting in a "lobster mushroom" (from Mushroom)
Image 16The red yeast rice fungus, Monascus purpureus, can synthesize three statins. (from Medicinal uses of fungi)
Image 17Lycoperdon perlatum (the "common puffball") has a glebal hymenium; when young, the interior is white, but it becomes brown containing powdery spores as the fungus matures. (from Mushroom)
Image 18Amanita 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 19Pholiota squarrosa growing at the base of a tree (from Mushroom)
Image 20Coprinopsis atramentaria, commonly known as the "ink cap" (from Mushroom)
Image 21Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, commonly known as the "flowerpot parasol", at various stages of development (from Mushroom)
Image 22Chytrid 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 23Pennate 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 24The blue gills of Lactarius indigo, a milk-cap mushroom (from Mushroom)
Image 25Workup algorithm of fungal infection at a microbiology lab at a New England community hospital. (from Fungal infection)
Image 26Boletus edulis, also known as "cep", an edible wild bolete found in Europe (from Mushroom)
Image 27Ferula mushroom in Bingöl, Turkey. This is an edible type of mushroom. (from Mushroom)
Image 28Eumycetoma (from Fungal infection)
Image 29Pityriasis versicolor (from Fungal infection)
Image 30Morchella elata asci viewed with phase contrast microscopy (from Mushroom)
Image 31Agaricus bitorquis (the "pavement mushroom") emerging through asphalt concrete in summer (from Mushroom)
Image 32Agaricus bisporus, a cultivated edible mushroom with various names including "button mushroom", "portobello" and "champignon" (from Mushroom)
Image 33Amanita jacksonii buttons emerging from their universal veils (from Mushroom)
Image 34Salmon with fungal disease (from Marine fungi)
Image 35
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 36Psilocybe zapotecorum, a hallucinogenic mushroom (from Mushroom)
Image 37Close-up cross section of mushroom gills (from Mushroom)
Image 38Morphological characteristics of the caps of mushrooms (from Mushroom)
Image 39Phylogenetic and symbiogenetic tree of living organisms, showing a view of the origins of eukaryotes and prokaryotes (from Marine fungi)
Image 40
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 41The photochemistry of vitamin D₂ biosynthesis (from Medicinal uses of fungi)
Image 42Amanita muscaria, a psychotropic mushroom commonly known as "fly agaric" (from Mushroom)
Image 43Onychomycosis (from Fungal infection)
Image 44Neurospora 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 45Ganoderma lingzhi (from Mushroom)
Image 46Typical mating fusion of two compatible monokaryons in Basidiomycota (from Mating in fungi)
Image 47A tinder fungus, Fomes fomentarius (from Mushroom)