Fungi

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arbuscular mycorrhiza

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Association of a fungus with a plant root system in which the fungus causes the invagination of the host (plant) cells’ plasma membranes.

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arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus

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A symbiotic fungus whose hyphae grow through the cell wall of plant roots and extend into the root cell (enclosed in tubes formed by invagination of the root cell plasma membrane).

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ascocarp

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The fruiting body of a sac fungus (ascomycete).

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ascomycete

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Member of the fungal phylum Ascomycota, commonly called sac fungus. The name comes from the saclike structure in which the spores develop.

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ascus (pl., asci)

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A saclike spore capsule located at the tip of a dikaryotic hypha of a sac fungus.

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basidiocarp

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Elaborate fruiting body of a dikaryotic mycelium of a club fungus.

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basidiomycete

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Member of the fungal phylum Basidiomycota, commonly called club fungus. The name comes from the club-like shape of the basidium.

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basidium (pl., basidia)

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A reproductive appendage that produces sexual spores on the gills of mushrooms (club fungi).

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chitin

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A structural polysaccharide, consisting of amino sugar monomers, found in many fungal cell walls and in the exoskeletons of all arthropods.

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chytrid

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Member of the fungal phylum Chytridiomycota, mostly aquatic fungi with flagellated zoospores that represent an early-diverging fungal lineage.

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club fungus

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See basidiomycete.

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coenocytic fungus

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A fungus that lacks septa and hence whose body is made up of a continuous cytoplasmic mass that may contain hundreds or thousands of nuclei.

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conidium (pl., conidia)

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A haploid spore produced at the tip of a specialized hypha in ascomycetes during asexual reproduction.

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coenocytic fungus

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A fungus that lacks septa and hence whose body is made up of a continuous cytoplasmic mass that may contain hundreds or thousands of nuclei.

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deuteromycete

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Traditional classification for a fungus with no known sexual stage. When a sexual stage for a so-called deuteromycete is discovered, the species is assigned to a phylum.

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dikaryotic

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Referring to a fungal mycelium with two haploid nuclei per cell, one from each parent.

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ectomycorrhizal fungus

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A symbiotic fungus that forms sheaths of hyphae over the surface of plant roots and also grows into extracellular spaces of the root cortex.

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endophyte

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A fungus that lives inside a leaf or other plant part without causing harm to the plant.

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Fungi

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The eukaryotic kingdom that includes organisms that absorb nutrients after decomposing organic material.

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glomeromycete

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Member of the fungal phylum Glomeromycota, characterized by a distinct branching form of mycorrhizae (mutualistic relationships with plant roots) called arbuscular mycorrhizae.

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haustorium (pl., haustoria)

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In certain symbiotic fungi, a specialized hypha that can penetrate the tissues of host organisms.

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heterokaryon

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A fungal mycelium that contains two or more haploid nuclei per cell.

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hypha (pl., hyphae)

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One of many connected filaments that collectively make up the mycelium of a fungus.

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karyogamy

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The fusion of two nuclei, as part of syngamy (fertilization).

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lichen

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The symbiotic collective formed by the mutualistic association between a fungus and a photosynthetic alga or cyanobacterium.

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lignin

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A hard material embedded in the cellulose matrix of vascular plant cell walls that provides structural support in terrestrial species.

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mold

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Informal term for a fungus that grows as a filamentous fungus, producing haploid spores by mitosis and forming a visible mycelium.

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mycelium

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The densely branched network of hyphae in a fungus.

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mycorrhiza (pl., mycorrhizae)

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A mutualistic association of plant roots and fungus.

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nucleariid

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Member of a group of unicellular, amoeboid protists that are more closely related to fungi than they are to other protists.

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pheromone

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In animals and fungi, a small molecule released into the environment that functions in communication between members of the same species. In animals, it acts much like a hormone in influencing physiology and behavior.

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plasmogamy

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The fusion of the cytoplasm of cells from two individuals; occurs as one stage of syngamy (fertilization).

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sac fungus

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See ascomycete.

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septum (pl., septa)

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One of the cross-walls that divide a fungal hypha into cells. Septa generally have pores large enough to allow ribosomes, mitochondria, and even nuclei to flow from cell to cell.

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yeast

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Single-celled fungus that reproduces asexually by binary fission or by the pinching of small buds off a parent cell; some species exhibit cell fusion between different mating types.

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zoospore

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Flagellated spore found in chytrid fungi and some protists.

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zygomycete

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Member of the fungal phylum Zygomycota, characterized by the formation of a sturdy structure called a zygosporangium during sexual reproduction.

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zygosporangium

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In zygomycete fungi, a sturdy multinucleate structure in which karyogamy and meiosis occur.