Ascomycota

Ascomycota is a fungal phylum defined by sexual spores formed inside saclike cells called asci. Its members include yeasts, truffles, morels, and many lichens.

Ascus: A saclike cell in which ascomycete sexual spores develop. The ascus is the defining reproductive structure of Ascomycota.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae: A yeast species used in baking, brewing, and biological research. This ascomycete turns sugars into carbon dioxide and ethanol.
Morel: An edible mushroom with a distinctive honeycomb-like cap, produced by fungi in the genus Morchella. Morels are conspicuous fruiting bodies of ascomycete fungi.
Basidiomycota: A fungal phylum whose sexual spores form externally on club-shaped cells called basidia. Basidia contrast with asci as the characteristic sexual spore-producing structures.
Ascospore: A sexual spore produced inside an ascus. Ascospores are the sexual products formed within the phylum’s defining sac.
Penicillium chrysogenum: A mold species used industrially to produce penicillin. Its antibiotic production shows how an ascomycete became a source of medicine.
Truffle: An underground fruiting body produced by certain fungi, especially in the genus Tuber. Many prized truffles are ascomycetes that fruit below ground.
Mucoromycota: A fungal phylum that includes molds such as Rhizopus and fungi forming arbuscular mycorrhizas. Its major lineages reproduce without the asci characteristic of Ascomycota.
Hypha: A threadlike filament that forms the body of many fungi. Many ascomycetes grow as networks of hyphae, though yeasts are unicellular.
Aspergillus oryzae: A mold used to ferment foods such as sake, soy sauce, and miso. This species illustrates the phylum’s role in traditional food fermentation.

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