Outline of fungi

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fungi:

Fungi – "Fungi" is plural for "fungus". A fungus is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes unicellular microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as multicellular fungi that produce familiar fruiting forms known as mushrooms. Biologists classify these organisms as a kingdom, Fungi, separate from the other life-kingdoms of plants, animals, protists, and bacteria. One difference that places fungi in a different kingdom is that their cell walls contain chitin, unlike the cell walls of plants, bacteria and some protists. Similar to animals, fungi are heterotrophs, that is, they acquire their food by absorbing dissolved molecules, typically by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment. Growth is their means of mobility, except for spores (a few of which are flagellated), which may travel through air or water. Fungi function as the principal decomposers in ecological systems.

What type of thing are fungi?[edit]

Fungi can be described as all of the following:

Life forms – entities that are living.
Kingdom – second highest taxonomic rank of living organisms, just below domain. The kingdom Fungi belongs to the Eukaryota domain.

Types of fungi[edit]

By form
- Molds
  - Aspergillus (list)
  - Fusarium (list)
- Mushrooms
  - Agaricus (list)
  - Amanita (list)
  - Armillaria (list)
  - Boletus (list)
  - Coprinellus (list)
  - Coprinopsis (list)
  - Cortinarius (list)
  - Entoloma (list)
  - Gymnopilus (list)
  - Gymnopus (list)
  - Hebeloma (list)
  - Hygrocybe (list)
  - Hygrophorus (list)
  - Inocybe (list)
  - Lactarius (list)
  - Lactifluus (list)
  - Lepiota (list)
  - Leucoagaricus (list)
  - Leccinum (list)
  - Marasmius (list)
  - Pleurotus (list)
- Yeasts
- Other
  - Cyathus (list)
By activity
- Carnivorous fungi
- Pathogenic fungi
- Poisonous fungi
  - Poisonous mushrooms
    - List of poisonous mushrooms
      - List of deadly mushrooms
By aspect
- Bioluminescent fungi
- Deadly fungi
By use
- Medicinal fungi
- Edible fungi
  - Edible molds
    - Penicillium camemberti – used in the production of Brie cheese and Camembert cheese
    - Penicillium glaucum – used in making Gorgonzola cheese
    - Penicillium roqueforti – used in making Roquefort cheese, Danish Blue cheese, and also recently Gorgonzola
  - Edible mushrooms

Symbiotic life forms of which fungi are a part[edit]

Lichen – composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi^[1] in a symbiotic relationship.^[2]^[3] Lichens are classified by the fungal component. Lichen species are given the same scientific name (binomial name) as the fungus species in the lichen. Lichens are being integrated into the classification schemes for fungi.
- Caloplaca (list)
- Cladonia (list)
- Lecanora (list)