1. Basidiomycetes Characteristics: Septate mycelium
Basidia and basidiospores
Clamp connections. Not all Basidiomycetes produce these, but when a fungus does it will always be a basidiomycete.

2. Basidiomycetes Characteristics:
Two main groups, based on morphology of basidia.
Basidia are septate and deeply lobed
Order Uredinales – the rusts
Produce all five spore stages – aeciospores, uredospores, teliospores, basidiospores and spermatia (aka pycniospores)
Important genera – Puccinia, Gymnosporangium
Order Ustilaginales – the smuts
Produce only basidiospores and teliospores
Important genera – Ustilago, Tilletia

3. Order Uredinales
Order Ustilaginales

4. Basidiomycetes Characteristics:
Two main groups, based on morphology of basidia.
Basidia are unicellular, non-septate: wood decay fungi
Order Aphyllophorales (aka Polyporales) – the bracket fungi
Hymenium lines small pores on underside of sporophore
Important genera – Polyporus, Fomes
Order Agaricales – the mushrooms
Hymenium lines gills (lamellae)
Important genera – Armillaria, Agaricus

5. Aphyllophorales
Agaricales

6. Basidiomycetes 5. Three types of hyphae
Primary hyphae – develops from a germinating basidiospore. Nuclear status = n
Secondary hypha – results from fusion of two primary hyphae. Yields a n+n cell that continues to grow as a n+n hyphae
Tertiary hypha – exactly the same as secondary hypha. n+n However it has thick walls that enable production of fleshy and wood sporophores
Primary hyphae
Primary hyphae
Secondary hyphae
Tertiary hyphae

7. The Rusts
These are obligate parasites. Generally these require two host to complete their lifecycle.
Primary hosts – the host on which basidia and basidiospores are produced.
Alternate host – the other host in the life cycle on which spermagonia and aecia are produced
Alternative host – the host that a pathogen can infect in place of the primary or alternate hosts.
Heteroecious – organisms with a primary and alternate host.
Autoecious – organisms that have only a single (primary) host.
Macrocyclic rust – long cycle rust. Produce all 5 spore types.
Demicyclic rust – medium cycle rust. Omits uredia.
Microcyclic rust – short cycle rusts. Produces basidiospores, teliospores and spermatia.

9. Wheat stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis tritici

10. Cedar apple rust, caused by Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianum
lacks the uredia stage = no repeating stage

11. The Smuts Unique characteristics of smuts (vs. rusts)
They are not obligate parasites. We can grow them in culture.
They show a very high degree of selectivity. They attack not only certain host but certain tissues of the host.
Have only tow spore types: basidiospores and teliospores.
Example: corn smut, caused by Ustilago maydis

13. Review Wheat stem rust – all spore types
Cedar apple rust – lacks ureida
Coffee rust – no aecial stage
Smuts – basidiospores + teliospores only