Basidiomycote?

Question

How do they feed?
How do they reproduce?
What is their medical and economic importance?
Why are they in a phylum together?

Answer 1

The Basidiomycota was traditionally divided into Homobasidiomycetes (the true mushrooms); and Heterobasidiomycetes (the Jelly, Rust and Smut fungi). The Basidiomycota is now thought to comprise four major clades, the Hymenomycotina (Hymenomycetes; mushrooms), the Ustilaginomycotina (Ustilaginomycetes; true smut fungi), and the Teliomycotina (Urediniomycetes; rusts).

They are heterotrophic and digest their food externally, absorbing nutrient molecules into their cells. Many Basidiomycota obtain nutrition by decaying dead organic matter, including wood and leaf litter. Thus, Basidiomycota play a significant role in the carbon cycle

Sexual reproduction in basidiomycetes is similar to that of ascomycetes. Sexually compatible haploid hyphae fuse to produce a dikaryotic mycelium. This leads to the production of a basidiocarp. The most commonly-known basidiocarps are mushrooms, but they may also take many other forms. Club-like structures known as basidia generate haploid basidiospores following karyogamy and meiosis. These basidiospores then germinate to produce new haploid mycelia.


Humans have found diverse uses for Basidiomycota. Mushrooms, both cultivated and wild, are eaten in many countries. For the untrained, mushroom-hunting is a risky endeavor, because some Basidiomycota produce deadly toxins (Benjamin 1995). The basidiomycete toxin phalloidin (from the mushroom Amanita phalloides) binds actin, which is a component of microfilaments. Fluorescent stains that incorporate phalloidin are used by cell biologists to visualize the cytoskeleton. Other "toxins" produced by Basidiomycota include hallucinogens, which are produced by members of the genus Psilocybe (and other groups). Species of Psilocybe have traditionally been used in Central American indigenous cultures as a spiritual tool, and are now cultivated for the illicit drug trade. Other biochemical compounds of Basidiomycota that have practical uses include astaxanthin, a red pigment produced by the basidiomycetous yeast Phaffia (used to add color to farmed salmon), and certain enzymes from wood-decaying Basidiomycota that have potential applications in paper production and bioremediation (decontamination of polluted environments using biological agents).