Mushrooms
Wild and Cultivated
GENERAL MYCOLOGY
Fungi are a group of organisms that due to their unique characteristics of feeding (organisms that feed by absorbing nutrients from the outside environment) and reproduction (organisms that reproduce by spores), are distinguished from animals and plants.
They have a great diversity of shapes and growth patterns, with most species being quite inconspicuous, with microscopic bodies, often unicellular. Many species of fungi have unique properties of great interest, such as the alcoholic fermentation capacity of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or the production of antibiotic compounds by fungi of the genus Penicillium, for example.
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Mushrooms
Two large groups of fungi, Basidiomycota and Ascomycota, contain the macrofungal species, i.e. fungi visible to the naked eye, easily recognized by their vegetative structures, the mycelia, and reproductive structures, the carpophores: mushrooms or truffles.
The mycelium is a filamentous, multicellular structure that develops through hyphae and constitutes the "body" of the fungus, colonizing living or decaying organic tissues. It often has the whitish appearance of fine cotton, with radial growth.
The carpophore is a reproductive structure that develops from the matrix of the mycelium and which, through its shape and growth habit, allows the spores, the small "seeds" of the fungus, to be dispersed. Each mushroom can produce tens of thousands of new spores which, when the environmental conditions are right, give rise to a new mycelium and, consequently, a new life cycle.
Mushrooms are the most recognized fungal structures used for human consumption. They can come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures, but most mushrooms are shaped like an umbrella or arrow, with a more or less wide cap with pores, folds, needles or blades on the underside, or hymenium, a more or less thick or elongated foot and a ring that surrounds it.
Ecology and Life Forms
Fungi are a group of organisms that are extremely well adapted to the planet's most diverse environmental conditions. They can appear under snow, in fresh or salt water, under desert soils, on decaying wood or even inside the bodies of other organisms... The main life forms of fungi are associated with different ways of exploiting available food sources. It's worth remembering that, unlike plants, fungi cannot produce their own food, so they need to absorb the carbon necessary for their development from living or dead organic matter.
We can divide fungi into three main groups:
Saprophytic Fungi: fungi that develop by absorbing dead organic matter and contributing to its decomposition. This group of fungi is vitally important for the maintenance of the ecosystems in which they are found, contributing to the recycling of nutrients and the control of pathogens. They can be divided into different categories:
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Coprophilous: they grow on animal excrement and some need fermenting substrates to fructify;
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Humicolous: they grow on decomposing plant residues, i.e. humus;
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Lignicolous / Xylophilous: they grow on dead wood, leaves, old branches and trunks;
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Hypogeous: they grow below the soil surface.
Parasitic Fungi: fungi that inhabit and colonize the bodies of animals, plants and even other fungi, using their vital resources and causing disease and, in some cases, the death of the host.
Symbiotic and Mycorrhizal Fungi: fungi that establish symbiotic relationships, or reciprocal cooperation, with a more or less wide range of plant species (trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants). These fungi obtain excess organic compounds from plants, mainly complex sugars. In return, the fungus allows the plant to increase the extent and capacity of its roots to absorb water and nutrients by binding with the mycelium. Some species of mycorrhizal fungi are considered cosmopolitan, i.e. they can establish root symbiotic relationships with several species of higher plants. On the other hand, other species only colonize the roots of one plant species and are therefore exclusive symbionts. The species of mushroom fungi traditionally used in gastronomy are mainly mycorrhizal species that establish symbiotic relationships with trees of ecological and economic importance, such as pine trees (Pinus spp.), chestnut trees (Castanea spp.) and oak trees (Quercus spp.).
References
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Bastidas, M.J., Machado, H. (2012) Cogumelos Com Interesse Económico no Baixo Alentejo. ADPM
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Baptista-Ferreira, J. et al (2013) Guia do Colector de Cogumelos – para os cogumelos silvestres comestíveis com interesse comercial em Portugal. DGADR
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Sanchéz Rodríguez, J.A. et al (2004) Los Hongos, Manual y Guía Didáctica de Micología. IRMA