Fungi

Members of the kingdom Fungi share several key features. They are eukaryotic, with cells whose walls contain chitin, they reproduce by microscopic spores, and their microscopic thread-like vegetative cells are called hyphae. They obtain nutrition by absorption from the substrate they are growing on or in. These features distinguish fungi from the plant and animal kingdoms. The study of fungi is called mycology. The part of fungi that are most familiar are the fruiting bodies of some species, which are commonly called mushrooms or conks, and are often quite abundant in forests, either on the forest floor, or on live or dead trees. The fruiting bodies of most species, however, are far less conspicuous.

Classification of fungi

Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing, and classifying organisms into biologically related groups. To make sense of the incredible diversity of life, biologists use a ranked classification system to identify species and to better understand how each is related to the others. Members of the higher classification ranks share only very general features, and each subsequent rank becomes more specialized. Fungal taxonomy is based primarily on morphological similarities and more recently molecular phylogenetic characteristics. Classifying fungi into phylum, class, order, family, genus, and finally species is a complex, continuously adjusted task.

Fungal nomenclature is governed by sections in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. There are specific rules that dictate how species are named and described, and how the authors of species descriptions are credited. The combination of genus, species epithet, and author name is known as the Latin binomial for the species. When the binomial is revised, for example moved into a different genus because of new scientific evidence, the previously used names are known as synonyms.

Here is an example of all the taxonomic ranks for Neonectria ditissima (Tul. & C. Tul.) Samuels & Rossman, a fungus that causes cankers.

If a species description is revised or the species is moved to another genus, the name(s) of the original author(s) is placed in parentheses (e.g., “Tul. & C. Tul” in the above figure here), followed by the name(s) of the revising author(s) (e.g., “Samuels & Rossman” in the above figure here). Author names are sometimes abbreviated in a standardized format. The regulations for naming fungi are written in sections of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, and they differ from those in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, where the name(s) of the revising authors are not included after the parentheses.

The kingdom Fungi is composed of several phyla, but the two that contain most forest pathogens are the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.