What is basidium in biology?
basidium, in fungi (kingdom Fungi), the organ in the members of the phylum Basidiomycota (q.v.) that bears sexually reproduced bodies called basidiospores. The basidium serves as the site of karyogamy and meiosis, functions by which sex cells fuse, exchange nuclear material, and divide to reproduce basidiospores.
What is basidium example?
A basidium ( pl. basidia) is a microscopic sporangium (a spore-producing structure) found on the hymenophore of fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi which are also called tertiary mycelium, developed from secondary mycelium. Tertiary mycelium is highly-coiled secondary mycelium – a dikaryon.
What contains a basidium?
The basidia, which are the reproductive organs of these fungi, are often contained within the familiar mushroom, commonly seen in fields after rain, on the supermarket shelves, and growing on your lawn.
Which is a basidium forming fungi?
Basidiomycota. The Basidiomycota bear their sexual spores externally on a usually club-shaped structure called a basidium, which is often borne on or in a fruiting body called a basidiocarp or basidiome (Fig. 7).
Where are basidiospores formed?
The basidiospores are produced at the apex of tubular sterigmata and are forcibly discharged.
Are basidium haploid or diploid?
In the gills of the fruiting body, some cells undergo fusion of these two nuclei. These now diploid cells are the basidia. The diploid phase is very brief. Soon after fusion, meiosis takes place, resulting in four haploid nuclei.
Is basidium a single cell?
The fungi in the Phylum Basidiomycota are easily recognizable under a light microscope by their club-shaped fruiting bodies called basidia (singular, basidium), which are the swollen terminal cells of hyphae.
How does a basidium compare to an ascus in the way the spores are produced and the number of spores produced?
– A basidium produces sexual spores externally and is most often found on a larger fruiting body called the basidiocarp. They produce heaps of spores. – An ascus is a sac-like structure that produces sexual spores. These structures typically produce only eight spores (ascospores)—much fewer than the basidia.
What is difference between basidiocarp and basidium?
Basidia are found on the surface of the hymenium, and the basidia ultimately produce spores. In its simplest form, a basidiocarp consists of an undifferentiated fruiting structure with a hymenium on the surface; such a structure is characteristic of many simple jelly and club fungi.
What is the purpose of a basidiospores?
Most basidiospores are forcibly discharged, and are thus considered ballistospores. These spores serve as the main air dispersal units for the fungi. The spores are released during periods of high humidity and generally have a night-time or pre-dawn peak concentration in the atmosphere.
Who developed basidiospores?
(B) Explanation of correct answer: Basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi, a group that includes mushrooms, rust, and smuts. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia.
How basidiospores are formed?
Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia. Typically, four basidiospores develop on appendages from each basidium, of which two are of one strain and the other two of its opposite strain.
How many spores are ultimately formed within each basidium?
The number of basidospores per basidium is generally four, although it’s not uncommon to find two spores per basidium. Some species produce more than four; in Phallus impudicus, there can be 9 spores per basidium. Sources: An Introduction to Mycology (Mehrotra and Aneja)
What is the difference between basidium and ascus?
The ascus is a sac-like structure that bears reproductive cells. These cells produce sexual spores. Basidium is a club-shaped structure having sexual cells that produce sexual spores.
How are basidiospores formed?
The zygote immediately undergoes meiosis to form four haploid nuclei, and the future basidiospores are formed as blown out structures, on the tips of sterigmata, of the basidium. The nuclei migrates into the blown out areas which may then be properly referred to as basidiospores (Fig.