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Agaricus bisporus basidiospores. A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by basidiomycete fungi, a grouping that includes mushrooms, shelf fungi, rusts, and smuts. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia.
A basidium (pl.: basidia) is a microscopic spore-producing structure found on the hymenophore of reproductive bodies of basidiomycete fungi. The presence of basidia is one of the main characteristic features of the group. These bodies are also called tertiary mycelia, which are highly coiled versions of secondary mycelia.
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.
Heteroecious rust fungi require two unrelated hosts to complete their life cycle, with the primary host being infected by aeciospores and the alternate host being infected by basidiospores. This can be contrasted with an autoecious fungus, such as Puccinia porri , which can complete all parts of its life cycle on a single host species. [ 9 ]
Basidiospores are oval or elliptical in shape, smooth, hyaline, and thin-walled. [2] SEM image showing an enlarged view of the basidiospores on peridiole of bird's nest fungi SEM image of the funicular cord on the peridiole of bird's nest fungi Bird's nest fungi from the Missouri Ozarks
In human infection, C. neoformans is spread by inhalation of aerosolized basidiospores or dehydrated fungal cells, and can disseminate to the central nervous system, where it can cause meningoencephalitis. [22] In the lungs, C. neoformans cells are phagocytosed by alveolar macrophages. [23]
The basidiospores generally have ellipsoidal, spindle-like (fusiform), cylindrical, or tear-drop (lacrimiform) shapes; they are thin-walled, hyaline, and do not react with Melzer's reagent. [1] The family also contains corticioid fungi (in genus Cylindrobasidium) and a secotioid species (Guyanagaster necrorhiza). [2]