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The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cycle , [ 1 ] while the rest of the life cycle is characterized by vegetative mycelial growth and asexual ...
Ascomycetes, along with other fungi, can break down large molecules such as cellulose or lignin, and thus have important roles in nutrient cycling such as the carbon cycle. The fruiting bodies of the Ascomycota provide food for many animals ranging from insects and slugs and snails to rodents and larger mammals such as deer and wild boars.
Basidiomycota are filamentous fungi composed of hyphae (except for basidiomycota-yeast) and reproduce sexually via the formation of specialized club-shaped end cells called basidia that normally bear external meiospores (usually four). These specialized spores are called basidiospores. [4] However, some Basidiomycota are obligate asexual ...
All basidiocarps serve as the structure on which the hymenium is produced. Basidia are found on the surface of the hymenium, and the basidia ultimately produce spores. In its simplest form, a basidiocarp consists of an undifferentiated fruiting structure with a hymenium on the surface; such a structure is characteristic of many simple jelly and club fungi.
This indicates that the soft bodies of ectomycorrhizal fungi do not easily fossilize. [23] Molecular clockwork has suggested the evolution of ectomycorrhizal fungi occurred approximately 130 million years ago. [24] The evolution of subterranean fruiting bodies has occurred numerous times within the Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Glomeromycota. [1]
The fungal part of the relationship is composed mostly of various species of ascomycetes and a few basidiomycetes. [191] Lichens occur in every ecosystem on all continents, play a key role in soil formation and the initiation of biological succession , [ 192 ] and are prominent in some extreme environments, including polar , alpine , and ...
The fruiting body, or sporocarp, can be thought of as an extension of the extraradical hyphae. Its cell walls and spores are typically composed of complex carbohydrates, and often incorporate a great deal of nitrogen. [26] Many EcM fungi can only form fruiting bodies and complete their life cycles by participating in an EcM relationship.
Clamp connections are structures unique to the phylum Basidiomycota. Many fungi from this phylum produce spores in basidiocarps (fruiting bodies, or mushrooms), above ground. Though clamp connections are exclusive to this phylum, not all species of Basidiomycota possess these structures.