Fungal Identification Terminology:
composite structure:
A multicellular formation composed of cells from more than one species.
basidium:
A structure directly from which spores are formed following sexual reproduction in a Basidiomycete.
ascocarp-bound ascus:
An ascus that is associated with an ascocarp.
obsolete:
Rather than deleting terms that are no longer wanted in the ontology, they are made direct children of 'obsolete', with relationship type, part_of. A comment is added that says why the term was made obsolete. In addition, "OBSOLETE" is added as the first word in the definition field. This practice creates a record of the development of the ontology.
stipe:
A stalk or stem; composed of hyphae arrayed parallel to the long axis of the structure; a stipe may be a single supporting hypha.
fruitbody Any specialized structure which bears or contains sexually or asexually derived spores.
ascocarp:
A structure within which or at the surface of, an ascus develops in Ascomycetes.
pileus:
The structure on which the spore-bearing tissue is carried in sexually-derived fruiting bodies.
sporophore:
A structure directly within which spores are contained or from which spores are formed.
mycelium:
A group or mass of discrete hyphae; the vegetative structure of many fungi.
basidiocarp:
A structure at the surface of which or, or within, basidia and basidiospores develop in Basidiomycetes; site of karyogamy and meiosis.
ascospore in ascocarp-bound ascus:
A thick walled spore that stores and protects one or more nuclei following sexual reproduction in an Ascomycete that is contained in an ascus associated with an ascocarp.
ascus:
A sac-like structure containing sexual spores formed by Ascomycotina; mature asci may have little or no cytoplasm or cytoplasmic contents, and no nucleus outside of the spores.
free ascus:
An ascus that is not associated with an ascocarp and is usually derived from a single cell.
ascospore in free ascus:
A thick walled spore that stores and protects one or more nuclei following sexual reproduction in an Ascomycete that is contained in an ascus not associated with an ascocarp.
sexual spore:
A spore formed following meiosis. Sometimes following meiosis, prospores may undergo one or more rounds of mitosis before they are fully mature.
unicellular structure:
An individual cell composed of a plasma membrane, contents internal to the plasma membrane, and any external protective or encapsulating structure.
spore:
A differentiated form of an organism produced during or as a result of an asexual or sexual reproductive process; usually a cell with a thick cell wall that stores and protects one or more nuclei.
Spores may be produced in response to, and are characteristically resistant to, adverse environmental conditions.
ascospore:
A thick walled spore that stores and protects one or more nuclei following sexual reproduction in an Ascomycete.
basidiospore:
A thick walled spore that stores and protects one or more nuclei following sexual reproduction in an Basidiomycete; formed externally on extrusions of the basidium.
teliospore:
A spore with a very thick cell wall and extracellular peptidoglycan spikes that stores and protects one or more nuclei during dormancy in a Basidiomycete.
asexual spore:
A spore formed following mitosis or mitoses.
conidium An asexual, nonmotile spore formed by higher fungi; conidia are usually made from the side or tip of specialized sporogenous cells and do not form by progressive cleavage of the cytoplasm.
uninucleate conidium:
A conidium that has only one nucleus.
uredospore A thick walled spore that stores and protects one or more nuclei during dispersal following reproduction in an Basidiomycete.
conidium of conidiophore head:
A uninucleate spore formed on specialized cells or projections, sterigma, of a conidiophore head.
microconidium:
The smaller of two types of asexual spores formed by some fungi. An ovoid to pear-shaped asexual spore that contains very little cytoplasm and organelles, is uninucleate, and forms in vegetative hypae within a mycelium. Micronidia are extruded from the hyphal cell wall.
uninucleate macroconidium:
A macroconidium that has only one nucleus.
uninucleate blastconidium:
A blastoconidium that has only one nucleus.
uninucleate arthroconidium:
An arthroconidium that has only one nucleus.
vegetative cell:
A single cell where nutrition and growth predominate, as opposed to cells that are undergoing sexual processes.
multinucleate conidium:
A conidium that has more than one nucleus.
lichen thallus:
A multicellular structure composed of multiple species; minimally composed of an alga or cyanobacterium and a fungus.
multinucleate macroconidium:
A macroconidium that has more than one nucleus.
multinucleate blastoconidium:
A blastoconidium that has more than one nucleus.
multinucleate arthroconidium:
An arthroconidium that has more than one nucleus.
macroconidium The larger of two types of asexual spores formed by some fungi; usually round or oblong.
oospore:
An asexual spore formed by Oomycetes; formed upon fertilization of an oosphere.
zygospore:
A thick walled, sexual, resting spore formed by Zygomycetes; sometimes refers to the spore and the multi-layered cell wall that encloses the spore, the zygosporangium.
arthroconidium:
Cylindrical spore formed by development and compartmentation of hyphae; the hyphae are often supporting blastoconidiophores.
blastoconidium An oblong or round asexual spore formed from conidial chains.
conidiophore:
A specialized hypha, often aerial, that gives rise to asexual spores, known as conidia.
sterigma:
A small hyphal branch or structure which supports a sporangium, a conidium, or a basidiospore. In species with biseriate (two layered) sterigmata such as A. nidulans, the first layer comprises primary sterigmata (metulae) and the second layer secondary sterigmata (phialides). JSome species, e.g. A. fumigatus, A. oryzae, and others, have only phialides.
phialide:
A specialized cell that buds from a metula on a developing conidiophore. Multiple phialides may bud from each metula. The phialides in turn divide asymmetrically to give rise to chains of conidia.
metula:
A specialized cell borne on a conidiophore that gives rise to phialides during the process of conidiation.
cleistothecium:
A completely closed fruiting body formed by some fungi of the Ascomycota, containing asci.
Hulle cell:
A specialized multinucleate cell that originates from a nest-like aggregation of hyphae during sexual development. Hulle cells serve as nurse cells to the developing cleistothecium. Note that "Hulle" is properly written with an umlaut character on the "u".
conidiophore vesicle:
The swollen region at the apex of a conidiophore, bearing multiple metulae.
conidiophore stalk:
The elongated part of the conidiophore that extends, often aerially, from the growth substrate and supports the structures that bear conidia.
hypha:
A threadlike, tubular filamentous fungal structure.
pseudohypha:
A chain of cells, formed under specific growth conditions, in which yeast-form fungal cells become elongated, bud only at the cellular pole distal to the mother cell, and fail to separate after division. Pseudohyphae exhibit constrictions at the cell-cell junctions, in contrast to true hyphae which are of more uniform diameter.
hypha in mycelium:
A threadlike, tubular filamentous fungal structure, existing as part of a group or mass of such structures, the mycelium.
septate hypha in mycelium:
A hypha that is divided internally by septa, or lateral cell walls, that exists as part of a group or mass of such structures, the mycelium.
rhizomorph:
A thick strand of hyphae oriented in parallel to each other, with a central channel through which nutrients are conducted.
mycelial cord:
A thick strand of hyphae, oriented in parallel to each other, with specialized channels through which nutrients are conducted.
stroma:
A compact hyphal mass, on or in which fruiting bodies are formed.
sclerotium:
A mycelial resting body, resistant to adverse environmental conditions.
septate hypha:
A hypha that is divided internally by septa, or lateral cell walls.
aseptate hypha:
A hypha whose growing portion contains multiple nuclei but is not divided internally by septa, or lateral cell walls. Septa may be present in older portions of the hypha, or at the base of reproductive structures.
hyphal tip:
The growing end of a hypha.
hyphal tip, hypha in mycelium:
The growing end of a hypha existing as a part of a mass or group of hyphae, the mycelium.
hypha with dolipore septa, in mycelium Hypha containing dolipore septa, or cross-walls, containing a central pore around which the septum is swollen to form a barrel-shaped structure; existing as part of a group or mass of similar hyphae, or mycelium.
aseptate hypha in mycelium:
A hypha whose growing portion contains multiple nuclei but is not divided internally by septa, or lateral cell walls; existing as part of a mass or group of such hyphae, the mycelium.
hyphal tip, septate hypha in mycelium:
The growing end of a hypha that is divided internally by septa, or lateral cell walls, existing as part of a group or mass of such hyphae, the mycelium.
hyphal tip, septate hypha:
The growing end of a hypha that is divided internally by septa, or lateral cell walls.
hyphal tip, hypha with dolipore septa in mycelium:
The growing end of a hypha that is divided internally by dolipore septa, existing as part of a group or mass of such hyphae, the mycelium.
hypha with dolipore septa Hypha containing dolipore septa, or cross-walls; septa contain a central pore around which the septum is swollen to form a barrel-shaped structure; pore is covered on each side of the septum by a septal pore cap (parenthosome).
hyphal tip, hypha with dolipore septa:
The growing end of a hypha that is divided internally by septa, or cross-walls, of the dolipore type.
hyphal tip, aseptate hypha in mycelium:
The growing tip of a hypha whose growing portion is not divided internally by septa, or lateral cell walls, existing as part of a group or mass of such hyphae, the mycelium.
hyphal tip, aseptate hypha:
The growing end of a hypha that is not divided internally by septa, or cross-walls.
mating cell:
A cell engaged in or about to engage in the process of mating; exhibits different morphology from a vegetative cell due to the action of mating pheromones.
shmoo:
An elongated, asymmetric cell formed before mating, in response to mating pheromone, by Saccharomyces species and other fungi with similar life cycles. Named after the Al Capp cartoon character, whose shape it resembles.
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