Portal:Fungi

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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.

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Armillaria gallica (synonymous with A. bulbosa and A. lutea) is a species of honey mushroom in the family Physalacriaceae of the order Agaricales. The species is a common and ecologically important wood-decay fungus that can live as a saprobe, or as an opportunistic parasite in weakened tree hosts to cause root or butt rot. It has a widespread distribution, being found in temperate regions of Asia, North America, and Europe, and forms fruit bodies singly or in groups in soil or rotting wood. The fungus has been inadvertently introduced to South Africa. Armillaria gallica has had a confusing taxonomy, due in part to historical difficulties encountered in distinguishing between similar Armillaria species. The fungus received international attention in the early 1990s when an individual colony living in a Michigan forest was reported to cover an area of 15 hectares (37 acres), weigh at least 9,500 kilograms (21,000 lb), and be 1,500 years old. This individual is popularly known as the "humungous fungus", and is a tourist attraction and inspiration for an annual mushroom-themed festival in Crystal Falls.

Armillaria gallica is a largely subterranean fungus, and it produces fruit bodies that are up to about 10 cm (3.9 in) in diameter, yellow-brown, and covered with small scales. On the underside of the caps are gills that are white to creamy or pale orange. The stem may be up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long, with a white cobwebby ring that divides the color of the stem into pale orange to brown above, and lighter-colored below. The fungus can develop an extensive system of underground root-like structures, called rhizomorphs, that help it to efficiently decompose dead wood in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests. It has been the subject of considerable scientific research due to its importance as a plant pathogen, its ability to bioluminesce, its unusual life cycle, and its ability to form large and long-lived colonies.

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Suillus sibiricus is a fungus of the genus Suillus in the family Suillaceae. It is found in mountains of Europe, North America and Siberia, strictly associated with several species of pine tree. Due to its specific habitat and rarity in Europe, it has been selected for inclusion in several regional Red Lists. Its fruit bodies are characterised by having slimy caps in wet weather, which can reach diameters of up to 10 cm (3.9 in). On the underside of the cap are yellow angular pores that bruise a pinkish to cinnamon colour. The stem is up to 8 cm (3.1 in) tall and 2.5 cm (1.0 in) wide and typically has a ring, a remnant of the partial veil that covers the fruit body in its early development. In North America, it is commonly called the Siberian slippery jack. Phylogenetic analysis has shown that S. sibiricus is closely related to S. umbonatus and S. americanus, and may in fact be conspecific with the latter species.

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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.
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Expand some high priority fungus stubs.
Expand or sort other fungi-related stubs.
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Write fungi-related articles from scratch. For ideas of needed articles, see the redlinks on-
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Credit: Jason Hollinger

The lichen Xanthoria elegans growing on exposed sandstone.

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Did you know?

... that the edible fungus Polyozellus multiplex has attracted research interest as a possible chemopreventative agent against stomach cancer?
... that the fungal genus Hericium includes the monkey's head fungus, used in Traditional Chinese medicine?
... that the rust fungus Puccinia jaceae var. solstitialis is the first plant pathogen approved by the United States Department of Agriculture as a biological control agent?
... that the Eyelash Cup normally grows on rotten wood, but can sometimes be found on bracket fungi?
... that the false earthstar in the fungal family Astraeaceae can open and close its rays in response to changes in humidity?

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General images - show new batch

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

Image 1Amanita jacksonii buttons emerging from their universal veils (from Mushroom)
Image 2Morphological diversity of fungi collected from a marine sponge species, Ircinia variabilis (from Marine fungi)
Image 3Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, commonly known as the "flowerpot parasol", at various stages of development (from Mushroom)
Image 4Workup algorithm of fungal infection at a microbiology lab at a New England community hospital. (from Fungal infection)
Image 5A mushroom (probably Russula brevipes) parasitized by Hypomyces lactifluorum resulting in a "lobster mushroom" (from Mushroom)
Image 6A tinder fungus, Fomes fomentarius (from Mushroom)
Image 7Eumycetoma (from Fungal infection)
Image 8
Driftwood
(from Marine fungi)
Image 9
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 10The photochemistry of vitamin D₂ biosynthesis (from Medicinal uses of fungi)
Image 11Mushrooms are considered a kind of fungal reproductive organ. (from Mycology)
Image 12Agaricus bisporus, one of the most widely cultivated and consumed mushrooms (from Mushroom)
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)
Image 14Salmon with fungal disease (from Marine fungi)
Image 15Ling Zhi-8, an immunomodulatory protein isolated from Ganoderma lucidum (from Medicinal uses of fungi)
Image 16Amanita muscaria, a psychotropic mushroom commonly known as "fly agaric" (from Mushroom)
Image 17Maitake, a polypore mushroom (from Mushroom)
Image 18The red yeast rice fungus, Monascus purpureus, can synthesize three statins. (from Medicinal uses of fungi)
Image 19Pennate 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 20Onychomycosis (from Fungal infection)
Image 21Lycoperdon 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 22
Lichen covered rocks
(from Marine fungi)
Image 23Tinea corporis (from Fungal infection)
Image 24Boletus edulis, also known as "cep", an edible wild bolete found in Europe (from Mushroom)
Image 25There are over 100 psychoactive mushroom species of genus Psilocybe native to regions all around the world. (from Mushroom)
Image 26Neurospora 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 27
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 28Ganoderma lingzhi (from Mushroom)
Image 29Pholiota squarrosa growing at the base of a tree (from Mushroom)
Image 30Agaricus bitorquis (the "pavement mushroom") emerging through asphalt concrete in summer (from Mushroom)
Image 31Pityriasis versicolor (from Fungal infection)
Image 32Amanita 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 33Typical mating fusion of two compatible monokaryons in Basidiomycota (from Mating in fungi)
Image 34Coprinopsis atramentaria, commonly known as the "ink cap" (from Mushroom)
Image 35Close-up cross section of mushroom gills (from Mushroom)
Image 36Morchella elata asci viewed with phase contrast microscopy (from Mushroom)
Image 37Fungi within Ascomycota form ascogonium and antheridium with trichogyne bridge (from Mating in fungi)
Image 38Young Amanita phalloides "death cap" mushrooms, with a matchbox for size comparison (from Mushroom)
Image 39
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 40Ferula mushroom in Bingöl, Turkey. This is an edible type of mushroom. (from Mushroom)
Image 41Phylogenetic and symbiogenetic tree of living organisms, showing a view of the origins of eukaryotes and prokaryotes (from Marine fungi)
Image 42Group photograph taken at a meeting of the British Mycological Society in 1913 (from Mycology)
Image 43The blue gills of Lactarius indigo, a milk-cap mushroom (from Mushroom)
Image 44Fungi within Zygomycota form progametangia with suspensors during mating (from Mating in fungi)
Image 45Agaricus bisporus, a cultivated edible mushroom with various names including "button mushroom", "portobello" and "champignon" (from Mushroom)
Image 46Oral candidiasis (from Fungal infection)
Image 47Morphological characteristics of the caps of mushrooms (from Mushroom)
Image 48Psilocybe zapotecorum, a hallucinogenic mushroom (from Mushroom)