Mycology terms Flashcards
Acropleurogenous
Conidia developing at the tip and along the sides of the conidiophore.
Ameroconidium (pl. ameroconidium)
A one-celled conidium.
Anamorph
An asexual state of a fungus.
Anisogamous planogametes
motile gametes which are morphologically similar but which differ in size
Anisogamy
union of planogametes which are morphologically similar but which differ in size.
Apothecium
cup-shaped fruitbody of certain ascomycetes fungi
arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM)
(a mycorrhiza) where fungi from the Glomeromycota penetrate the roots of a (usually herbaceous) plant and provide the plant with water and nutrients while the plant supplies sugars to the fungus
Apothecium
an open ascocarp
Archicarp
the initial stage of a fruiting body.
Ascocarp
Fruitbody of an ascomycete fungus
Ascogonium
the female gametangium of the Ascomycota
Ascomycetes
A group of fungi that reproduce sexually by the endogenous formation of ascospores in an ascus.
Ascospores
sexual spores produced in the asci of ascomycetes fungi
ascus
(pl., asci) the spore-producing cell of an ascomycetes fruitbody
Aseptate
Lacking septa, often pertaining to the hyphae seen in zygomycetes (also see coenocytic).
basidiocarp
fruitbody of a basidiomycete fungus
basidiomycetes
a - Class of fungi that produce their spores on basidia
basidiospores
sexual spores produced on the basidia of basidiomycetes fungi
basidium
(pl., basidia) spore-producing cell of a basidiomycete fungus
biotrophic
feeding on living cells of other organisms
Bud
A young conidium. Usually used to denote the young blastoconidia of yeasts.
Budding
Asexual multiplication by the production of a small outgrowth or bud from a parent cell.
bulbous
(describing a stem) with a swollen base
Chlamydoconidium
A thick-walled, thallic conidium formed within the vegetative hyphae. Chlamydoconidia function as organs of perennation rather than dissemination.
chlamydospores
asexual spores formed by the breaking up of fungal hyphae
clamp connection
swollen area formed around septum in a hypha during cell division
Cleistothecium
An enclosed ascocarp containing randomly dispersed asci.
Colony
a group of individuals of the same species living in close association. In fungi, the term usually refers to any hyphae growing out of a single point and forming a round or globose thallus.
Columella (pl. columellae)
A sterile dome-like structure at the tip of a sporangiophore or within a sporangium.
Conidiophore
A specialized hypha upon which conidia develop.
Conidium (pl. conidia)
An asexual reproductive propagule formed in any manner that does not involve cytoplasmic cleavage. Conidia function as organs of dissemination.
Denticle
A small projection or peg on which conidia are produced.
dichotomous
forking/divided into pairs – as in logical decision-making trees
Dictyoconidium
A conidium with both longitudinal and transverse septa; a muriform conidium.
Didmoconidium
A two celled conidium.
Dikaryon
a pair of closely associated nuclei, each derived from a different parent cell.
ectomycorrhiza
(a mycorrhiza) where the fungus forms sheathes around plant rootlets (often of a tree), growing between but not penetrating the cells of the plant root, and providing the plant with water and nutrients while the plant supplies sugars to the fungus
endomycorrhiza
mycorrhiza in which fungal hyphae penetrate cell walls of host plan
endophyte
fungus living within a plant without causing visible symptoms of harm
Exudate
Droplets of fluid formed on the surface of a colony.
Facultative parasite
an organism capable of infecting another living organism or of growing on dead organic matter, according to circumstances.
Facultative saprobe
an organism capable of growing on dead organic matter, or of infecting another living organism, according to circumstances.
Fission
the splitting of a cell into two cells directly.
Fructification
any fungal structure that contains or bears spores.
Fungus
One of the achlorophyllous thallophytes whose somatic structures are usually filamentous and branched fungi have cell walls and demonstrable nuclei. They reproduce typically both by sexual and asexual means.
Germ tube
The initial hypha that develops from a conidium or spore.
Haustorium
absorbing organ originating on a hypha of a parasite and penetrating into a cell of the host. Most often associated with obligate parasites, but also produced by some facultative parasites.
hemicellulose
amorphous (non-crystalline) polysaccharides in plant cell walls
Heteroecism
the necessity of two host species for the completion of the life cycle of certain parasitic fungi.
Heterogametes
male and female gametes that are distinguishable morphologically
Heterokaryotic
containing nuclei of different strains.
hyaline
clear (colourless) when viewed under a microscope
hygrophanous
appearing translucent when wet, paler and opaquer when dry
hymenium
fertile spore-bearing tissue (e.g. on mushroom gill or pore surfaces)
Hypha (pl. hyphae)
A single filament of a fungus.
Isogamete
gametes, presumably of opposite sex, which are indistinguishable morphologically
lamellae
gills
Medium
sub-stratum of a balanced chemical composition employed in the laboratory for growing microorganisms. Media may be used in the liquid state or may be solidified with agar, gelatin, or other solidifying agents.
mycelium
body of a fungus, most of which is underground or hidden within wood
mycobiont
the fungal component of a lichen or of a mycorrhizal partnership
mycorrhiza
structure by which a fungus and a plant exchange nutrients mutually
necrotrophic
feeding by killing and consuming (part of) another organism
Obligate parasite
an organism which can obtain food only from living protoplasm. Obligate parasites cannot be grown in culture on non-living media organelle
parasitism
process whereby an organism feeds at the expense of another (host)
Parthenogenesis
the development of the normal product of sexual reproduction from the female gamete alone.
Peridium
The outer wall of an ascocarp.
photobiont
photosynthesizing component (alga or cyanobacterium) of a lichen
Rhizoids
A short branching root-like hyphae seen in some Zygomycetes.
Sclerotium (sclerotia)
A mass of thick-walled cells formed by the vegetative hyphae that function as an organ of perennation.
septate
(describing hyphae) partitioned by cross walls known as sept
septum
(pl., septa) a cross wall separating cells of a hyphal thread
Sporangiophore
hypha that bears a sporangium
Sporangium
a cell that contains one or more spores. Generally an asexual structure
spore
reproductive structure of a fungus, usually a single cel
sporophore
fungal fruitbody
stipe
stem of a mushroom
Teleomorph
The sexual state of a fungus.
thallus
(pl., thalli) the body of a fungus or a lichen
