Fungus - Wikipedia Jump to content Main menu Main menu move to sidebar hide Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Special pages Search Search Appearance Donate Create account Log in Personal tools Donate Create account Log in Contents move to sidebar hide (Top) 1 Etymology 2 Characteristics 3 Diversity 4 Mycology Toggle Mycology subsection 4.1 History 5 Morphology Toggle Morphology subsection 5.1 Microscopic structures 5.2 Macroscopic structures 6 Growth and physiology 7 Reproduction Toggle Reproduction subsection 7.1 Asexual reproduction 7.2 Sexual reproduction 7.3 Spore dispersal 7.4 Homothallism 7.5 Other sexual processes 8 Evolution Toggle Evolution subsection 8.1 Fossil history 8.2 External phylogeny 8.3 Internal phylogeny 8.4 Taxonomic groups 8.5 Fungus-like organisms 9 Ecology Toggle Ecology subsection 9.1 Symbiosis 9.1.1 With plants 9.1.2 With algae and cyanobacteria 9.1.3 With insects 9.1.4 As parasites 9.1.5 As pathogens 9.1.6 As targets of mycoparasites 9.2 Communication 9.3 Possible impact on climate 10 Mycotoxins 11 Pathogenic mechanisms 12 Human use Toggle Human use subsection 12.1 Therapeutic uses 12.1.1 Modern chemotherapeutics 12.1.1.1 Antibiotics 12.1.1.2 Other 12.2 Traditional medicine 12.3 Cultured foods 12.4 In food 12.5 Poisonous fungi 12.6 Pest control 12.7 Bioremediation 12.8 Model organisms 12.9 Others 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References Toggle References subsection 15.1 Footnotes 15.2 Sources cited 16 Further reading 17 External links Toggle the table of contents Fungus 190 languages Afrikaans Alemannisch አማርኛ Aragonés अंगिका العربية الدارجة مصرى অসমীয়া Asturianu Atikamekw Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Башҡортса Basa Bali Boarisch Žemaitėška Bikol Central Беларуская (тарашкевіца) Беларуская Български বাংলা Brezhoneg Bosanski Буряад Català 閩東語 / Mìng-dĕ̤ng-ngṳ̄ Cebuano ᏣᎳᎩ کوردی Corsu Qırımtatarca Čeština Kaszëbsczi Чӑвашла Cymraeg Dansk Dagbanli Deutsch Dolnoserbski Ελληνικά Emiliàn e rumagnòl Esperanto Español Eesti Euskara Estremeñu فارسی Suomi Võro Føroyskt Français Nordfriisk Frysk Gaeilge Kriyòl gwiyannen Gàidhlig Galego گیلکی Avañe'ẽ Gaelg 客家語 / Hak-kâ-ngî עברית हिन्दी Fiji Hindi Hrvatski Hornjoserbsce Kreyòl ayisyen Magyar Հայերեն Արեւմտահայերէն Interlingua Bahasa Indonesia Interlingue Ilokano ГӀалгӀай Íslenska Italiano 日本語 Patois Jawa ქართული Gĩkũyũ Қазақша ಕನ್ನಡ Yerwa Kanuri 한국어 Kurdî Kernowek Кыргызча Latina Lëtzebuergesch Лезги Lingua Franca Nova Limburgs Ligure Ladin Lombard Lingála Lietuvių Latviešu Мокшень Malagasy Македонски മലയാളം Монгол मराठी Bahasa Melayu မြန်မာဘာသာ Эрзянь مازِرونی Nāhuatl Napulitano Plattdüütsch नेपाली नेपाल भाषा Li Niha Nederlands Norsk nynorsk Norsk bokmål Diné bizaad Occitan Livvinkarjala Oromoo Ирон ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Kapampangan Polski Piemontèis پنجابی پښتو Português Runa Simi Română Русский Русиньскый संस्कृतम् Саха тыла Sardu Sicilianu Scots سنڌي Davvisámegiella Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Taclḥit සිංහල Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Anarâškielâ Soomaaliga Shqip Српски / srpski Seeltersk Sunda Svenska Kiswahili Ślůnski தமிழ் ತುಳು తెలుగు Тоҷикӣ ไทย Tagalog Lea faka-Tonga Toki pona Türkçe Татарча / tatarça Удмурт ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche Українська اردو Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Vèneto Tiếng Việt Volapük Walon Winaray 吴语 Хальмг IsiXhosa მარგალური ייִדיש Yorùbá Vahcuengh 文言 閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gí 粵語 中文 IsiZulu Edit links Article Talk English Read View source View history Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions Read View source View history General What links here Related changes Upload file Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Switch to legacy parser Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Wikispecies Wikibooks Wikidata item Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Organism belonging to kingdom Fungi "Fungi" redirects here. For other uses, see Fungi (disambiguation) and Fungus (disambiguation). <ref>{{cite web |title=Record Details: Fungi R.T. Moore, Bot. Mar. 23(6): 371 (1980) |url=https://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=90154 |publisher=[[Index Fungorum]] |access-date=18 June 2024 |archive-date=18 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618201249/https://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=90154 |url-status=live }}</ref>"},"subdivision_ranks":{"wt":"Subkingdoms/phyla"},"subdivision":{"wt":"* [[Rozellomyceta]]\n** [[Rozellomycota]]\n*** [[Microsporidia]]\n* [[Aphelidiomyceta]]\n** [[Aphelidiomycota]]\n* \"Eumycota\"{{efn|name=eumycota|This reflects a modern sense of \"{{vanchor|Eumycota}}\", which is sister to Aphelidiomyceta. It is distinct from the older sense used to separate fungi (now simply the kingdom \"Fungi\") from slime molds and water molds. The current \"Eumycota\" matches the [[protistologist]]'s definition of Fungi as an exclusively osmotrophic lineage.<ref name=Hyde2024/>}}\n** [[Chytridiomyceta]]\n*** [[Neocallimastigomycota]]\n*** [[Monoblepharomycota]]\n*** [[Chytridiomycota]]\n** [[Blastocladiomyceta]]\n*** [[Blastocladiomycota]]\n*** [[Sanchytriomycota]]<ref name=Galindo2021/><ref name=Hyde2024/>\n** [[Amastigomycota]]\n*** [[Basidiobolomyceta]]\n**** [[Basidiobolomycota]]\n*** [[Olpidiomyceta]]\n**** [[Olpidiomycota]]\n*** [[Zoopagomyceta]]\n**** [[Zoopagomycota]]\n**** [[Entomophthoromycota]]\n**** [[Kickxellomycota]]\n*** [[Mortierellomyceta]]\n**** [[Mortierellomycota]]\n*** [[Mucoromyceta]] (possibly [[Paraphyly|paraphyletic]])<ref name=Wijayawardene2024/>\n**** [[Calcarisporiellomycota]]\n**** [[Mucoromycota]]\n**** [[Mortierellomycota]]{{efn|Alternatively, included in Mucoromycota as a subphylum.}}\n**** [[Glomeromycota]]{{efn|Alternatively, included in Mucoromycota as a subphylum. In rRNA-based analysis, groups with Dikarya to form [[Symbiomycota]].}}\n*** [[Dikarya]]\n**** [[Entorrhizomycota]]\n**** [[Basidiomycota]]\n**** [[Ascomycota]]"}},"i":0}}]}'> Fungi Temporal range: Middle Ordovician – Present (but see text) 460–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Clockwise from top left: Amanita muscaria, a basidiomycete; Sarcoscypha coccinea, an ascomycete; bread covered in mold; a chytrid; an Aspergillus conidiophore. Scientific classification Domain: Eukaryota Clade: Podiata Clade: Amorphea Clade: Obazoa Clade: Opisthokonta Clade: Holomycota Kingdom: Fungi Moore, 1980[1][2] Subkingdoms/phyla Rozellomyceta Rozellomycota Microsporidia Aphelidiomyceta Aphelidiomycota "Eumycota"[a] Chytridiomyceta Neocallimastigomycota Monoblepharomycota Chytridiomycota Blastocladiomyceta Blastocladiomycota Sanchytriomycota[4][3] Amastigomycota Basidiobolomyceta Basidiobolomycota Olpidiomyceta Olpidiomycota Zoopagomyceta Zoopagomycota Entomophthoromycota Kickxellomycota Mortierellomyceta Mortierellomycota Mucoromyceta (possibly paraphyletic)[5] Calcarisporiellomycota Mucoromycota Mortierellomycota[b] Glomeromycota[c] Dikarya Entorrhizomycota Basidiomycota Ascomycota A fungus (plural</span>"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"plural form","href":"./Template:Plural_form"},"params":{},"i":0}}]}'>pl.: fungi[d] or funguses[6]) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. These organisms are classified in the biological kingdom Fungi.[7][8] A characteristic that places fungus in a different kingdom from plants, bacteria, and some protists is having chitin in their cell walls. Fungi, like animals, are heterotrophs: they acquire their nutrition by absorbing dissolved organic molecules, typically by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment. A fungus does not perform photosynthesis. Growth is their means of motility, except for spores (a few of which are flagellated), which may travel through the air or water. Fungi are the principal decomposers in ecological systems. These and other differences place fungi in a single group of related organisms, named the Eumycota (true fungi or Eumycetes), that share a common ancestor (i.e. they form a monophyletic group), an interpretation that is also strongly supported by molecular phylogenetics. This fungal group is distinct from the structurally similar myxomycetes (slime molds) and oomycetes (water molds). The discipline of biology devoted to the study of fungi is called mycology (from the Greek μύκης, mykes 'mushroom'). In the past, mycology was regarded as a branch of botany, although it is now known that fungi are genetically more closely related to animals than to plants. Abundant worldwide, most fungi are inconspicuous because of the small size of their structures, and their cryptic lifestyles in soil or on dead matter. Fungi include symbionts of plants, animals, or other fungi and also parasites. They may become noticeable when fruiting, either as mushrooms or as molds. Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange in the environment. Over 90% of plants are dependent on Mycorrhizal symbiosis between plants and fungi[9] and this process also enhances photosynthesis in plants, increasing carbon uptake from the atmosphere and helping to stop climate change.[10][unreliable source?] Fungi have long been used as a direct source of human food, in the form of mushrooms and truffles; as a leavening agent for bread; and in the 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 pesticides to control weeds, plant diseases, and insect 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 contain psychotropic compounds and are consumed recreationally or in traditional spiritual ceremonies. Fungi can break down manufactured materials and buildings, and become significant pathogens of humans and other animals. Losses of crops due to fungal diseases (e.g., rice blast disease) or food spoilage can have a large impact on human food supplies and local economies. Fungi are threatened by fungicides, pesticides, pollution, deforestation and more.[10] The fungus kingdom encompasses an enormous diversity of taxa with varied ecologies, life cycle strategies, and morphologies ranging from unicellular aquatic chytrids to large mushrooms. However, little is known of the true biodiversity of the fungus kingdom, which has been estimated at 2.2 million to 3.8 million species.[11] Of these, only about 148,000 have been described,[12] with over 8,000 species known to be detrimental to plants and at least 300 that can be pathogenic to humans.[13] Ever since the pioneering 18th and 19th century taxonomical works of Carl Linnaeus, Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, and Elias Magnus Fries, fungi have been classified according to their morphology (e.g., characteristics such as spore color or microscopic features) or physiology. Advances in molecular genetics have opened the way for DNA analysis to be incorporated into taxonomy, which has sometimes challenged the his…