Question

In which group are mushrooms, toadstools, puffballs, and bracket fungi placed?
A. Sporomycetes
B. Zygomycetes
C. Ascomycetes
D. Basidiomycetes

Answer 1

Fungi is a kingdom. It is the largest in terms of members after angiosperms. They have more than one lakh species. The fungi are the non-green, thalloid, and heterotrophic plants because their body is undifferentiated into roots, stems, and leaves. Also, they do not synthesize their own food. These fungi are also known as club fungi.

Complete answer: The study of fungi is known as mycology. The father of mycology is P.A. Micheli and the father of Indian mycology is E.J. Butler. Fungi prefer to grow in warm, damp and humid places. They mostly grow on the organic-rich substratum. Some fungi also grow over dung, hair and barks. Their bodies are either unicellular or filamentous.
a) Basidiomycetes:
It is also known as ‘club fungi’. Their bodies are filamentous, septate and dikaryotic. Each cell has two nuclei. They reproduce by fragmentation but they do not reproduce by asexual spores. Sexual reproduction occurs by somatogamy where somatic hyphae fuse together. Some common examples of Basidiomycetes are mushrooms, bracket fungi, puffballs, and toadstools, etc.
b) Sporomycetes:
The kingdom fungi have no class as Sporomycetes. It is divided into four classes that are Phycomycetes, Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes and Deuteromycetes. The Phycomycetes is further divided into Oomycetes and Zygomycetes.
c) Zygomycetes:
It is a subclass of Phycomycetes. They are also known as ‘conjugation fungi’ because they reproduce by conjugation. All the fungi are filamentous and coenocytic. They have no unicellular, aseptate form. Some common examples of Zygomycetes are Rhizopus , and Mucor , etc.
d) Ascomycetes:
It is also known as ‘sac fungi’. Their body is unicellular or filamentous. They reproduce asexually by the method of fragmentation or budding. They also form asexual spores known as conidia. Sexual reproduction occurs with the help of gametangial contact. A fruiting body known as ascocarp is formed. Some common examples of Ascomycetes are Penicillium , Aspergillus , etc.
Thus, based on the above information we can conclude that the mushrooms, toadstools, puffballs, and bracket fungi are placed in the group basidiomycetes.
Hence, the correct answer is option D.

Note: Mushrooms are both edible and poisonous. Agaricus species of mushroom is edible. Amanita is a poisonous mushroom. Its species Americus caesaria was used to poison Caesar. Bracket fungi have very large fruiting bodies. Bracket fungi are wood decomposers. Puffballs have fruiting bodies in the shape of balls.