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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/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.

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Selected article

Mycena haematopus, commonly known as the bleeding fairy helmet, the burgundydrop bonnet, or the bleeding Mycena, is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae, of the order Agaricales. It is widespread and common in Europe and North America, and has also been collected in Japan and Venezuela. It is myco-heterotrophic—meaning that it obtains nutrients by consuming decomposing organic matter—and the fruit bodies appear in small groups or clusters on the decaying logs, trunks, and stumps of deciduous trees, particularly beech. The fungus, first described scientifically in 1799, is classified in the section Lactipedes of the genus Mycena, along with other species that produce a milky or colored latex.

The fruit bodies of M. haematopus have caps that are up to 4 cm (1.6 in) wide, whitish gills, and a thin, fragile reddish-brown stem with thick coarse hairs at the base. They are characterized by their reddish color, the scalloped cap edges, and the dark red latex they "bleed" when cut or broken. Both the fruit bodies and the mycelia are weakly bioluminescent. M. haematopus produces various alkaloid pigments unique to this species. The edibility of the fruit bodies is not known definitively.

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Selected species

Gyromitra infula, commonly known as the elfin saddle or the hooded false morel, is a member of the ascomycete mushrooms in the family Helvellaceae. The caps of the fruit bodies of this species develop a characteristic saddle-shape in maturity, and the ends of both saddle lobes are drawn out to sharp tips that project above the level of the fruiting body. It is found in the Northern Hemisphere, usually in the late summer and autumn, growing on rotting wood or on hard packed ground. G. infula is considered inedible as it contains the toxic compound gyromitrin. Gyromitra fungi are included among the informal category "false morels".

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Things to do

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• Assess some fungi articles.
• Join XIV: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-
  • XIV:WikiProject Fungi/List of unwritten articles (high priority)
  • XIV: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.

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WikiProjects

WikiProjects related to fungi:

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

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Selected picture

Credit: Nathan Wilson

The stinkhorn fungus, Phallus hadriani, photographed in Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States.

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Did you know?

• ... that several Armillaria species are bioluminescent?
• ... that the appearance of the decorated Pholiota at a 1994 North Carolina mushroom foray led to its re-classification two years later?
• ... that the agaric mushroom species Agaricus benesii is found under the pines of Monterey Cypress trees and bruises pinkish-red when injured?
• ... that Galerina sulciceps is considered the most toxic mushroom?
• ... that injuring Lactarius indigo will make it bleed a blue milk that slowly turns green?

More Did you know facts

General images - show new batch

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

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  Image 1Salmon with fungal disease (from Marine fungi)
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  Image 2Mushrooms are considered a kind of fungal reproductive organ. (from Mycology)
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  Image 3Amanita muscaria, the most easily recognised "toadstool", is frequently depicted in fairy stories and on greeting cards. It is often associated with gnomes. (from Mushroom)
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  Image 4Yellow flower pot mushrooms (Leucocoprinus birnbaumii) at various states of development (from Mushroom)
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  Image 5Young Amanita phalloides "death cap" mushrooms, with a matchbox for size comparison (from Mushroom)
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  Image 6

  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)
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  Image 7Fungi within Ascomycota form ascogonium and antheridium with trichogyne bridge (from Mating in fungi)
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  Image 8Group photograph taken at a meeting of the British Mycological Society in 1913 (from Mycology)
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  Image 9

  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)
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  Image 10Morphological characteristics of the caps of mushrooms (from Mushroom)
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  Image 11Psilocybe zapotecorum, a hallucinogenic mushroom (from Mushroom)
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  Image 12Typical mating fusion of two compatible monokaryons in Basidiomycota (from Mating in fungi)
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  Image 13Chytrid 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)
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  Image 14Close-up cross section of mushroom. (from Mushroom)
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  Image 15Boletus edulis, also known as "cep", is an edible wild bolete found in Europe (from Mushroom)
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  Image 16

  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)
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  Image 17Agaricus bisporus, one of the most widely cultivated and consumed mushrooms (from Mushroom)
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  Image 18Culinary mushrooms in a diversity of shapes and colors (from Mushroom)
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  Image 19Neurospora 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)
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  Image 20Phylogenetic and symbiogenetic tree of living organisms, showing a view of the origins of eukaryotes and prokaryotes (from Marine fungi)
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  Image 21

  Lichen covered rocks

  (from Marine fungi)
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  Image 22The red yeast rice fungus, Monascus purpureus, can synthesize three statins. (from Medicinal uses of fungi)
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  Image 23Amanita jacksonii buttons emerging from their universal veils (from Mushroom)
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  Image 24Pennate diatom from an Arctic meltpond, infected with two chytrid-like ※sporangium fungal pathogens (in false-colour red). Scale bar = 10 μm. (from Marine fungi)
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  Image 25Common 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)
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  Image 26A tinder fungus, Fomes fomentarius (from Mushroom)
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  Image 27Maitake, a polypore mushroom (from Mushroom)
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  Image 28The photochemistry of vitamin D₂ biosynthesis (from Medicinal uses of fungi)
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  Image 29

  Driftwood

  (from Marine fungi)
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  Image 30Eumycetoma (from Fungal infection)
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  Image 31Ling Zhi-8, an immunomodulatory protein isolated from Ganoderma lucidum (from Medicinal uses of fungi)
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  Image 32Pityriasis versicolor (from Fungal infection)
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  Image 33Ferula mushroom in Bingöl, Turkey . This is an edible type of mushroom. (from Mushroom)
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  Image 34Workup algorithm of fungal infection at a microbiology lab at a New England community hospital. (from Fungal infection)
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  Image 35Ganoderma lingzhi (from Mushroom)
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  Image 36Tinea corporis (from Fungal infection)
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  Image 37The blue gills of Lactarius indigo, a milk-cap mushroom (from Mushroom)
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  Image 38Psychotropic mushroom Amanita muscaria, commonly known as "fly agaric" (from Mushroom)
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  Image 39Morchella elata asci viewed with phase contrast microscopy (from Mushroom)
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  Image 40Agaricus bitorquis mushroom emerging through asphalt concrete in summer (from Mushroom)
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  Image 41Agaricus 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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  Image 42Onychomycosis (from Fungal infection)
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  Image 43Morphological diversity of fungi collected from a marine sponge species, Ircinia variabilis (from Marine fungi)
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  Image 44There are over 100 psychoactive mushroom species of genus Psilocybe native to regions all around the world. (from Mushroom)
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  Image 45A mushroom (probably Russula brevipes) parasitized by Hypomyces lactifluorum resulting in a "lobster mushroom" (from Mushroom)
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  Image 46Fungi within Zygomycota form progametangia with suspensors during mating (from Mating in fungi)
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  Image 47Oral candidiasis (from Fungal infection)

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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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