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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Alice BanksORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
Fungi are often inconspicuous in nature and this means it is all too easy to overlook their importance. Often referred to as the “Forgotten Kingdom”, fungi are key components of life on this planet. The phylum Basidiomycota, considered to contain the most complex and evolutionarily advanced members of this Kingdom, includes some of the most iconic fungal species such as the gilled mushrooms, puffballs and bracket fungi. Basidiomycetes inhabit a wide range of ecological niches, carrying out vital ecosystem roles, particularly in carbon cycling and as symbiotic partners with a range of other organisms. Specifically in the context of human use, the basidiomycetes are a highly valuable food source and are increasingly medicinally important. In this review, seven main categories, or ‘roles’, for basidiomycetes have been suggested by the authors: as model species, edible species, toxic species, medicinal basidiomycetes, symbionts, decomposers and pathogens, and two species have been chosen as representatives of each category. Although this is in no way an exhaustive discussion of the importance of basidiomycetes, this review aims to give a broad overview of the importance of these organisms, exploring the various ways they can be exploited to the benefit of human society.
Author(s): de Mattos-Shipley KMJ, Ford KL, Alberti F, Banks AM, Bailey AM, Foster GD
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Studies in Mycology
Year: 2016
Volume: 85
Pages: 125-157
Print publication date: 01/09/2016
Online publication date: 11/11/2016
Acceptance date: 02/04/2016
Date deposited: 03/02/2017
ISSN (print): 0166-0616
ISSN (electronic): 1872-9797
Publisher: CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.simyco.2016.11.002
DOI: 10.1016/j.simyco.2016.11.002
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