Name examples of the Basidiomycota. What aspect of the Basidiomycota's cells distinguishes them from other fungi? What aspect of the Basidiomycota's sexual reproductive cycle distinguishes them from other fungi? Describe the stages of the sexual reproductive cycle.
Basidiomycota, or club fungi, are some of the largest fungi, including such organisms as the mushrooms and toadstools, for example. The hyphae of Basidiomycota are unique in the fungal kingdom for having fully separated cells, that is cells that are completely divided by cell walls and membranes. Basidiomycota have club-shaped reproductive structures, called basidia, that hang underneath the cap of the fungi. Each basidium receives two different nuclei from hyphae of different sexes; these gametes, morphologically indistinguishable from each other, fuse to form a diploid zygote, which undergoes meiosis to produce four haploid spores. These are walled off from the basidium and expelled to germinate and give rise to new mycelia.
