Entorrhizomycetes

Entorrhizomycetes is a class of fungi whose species parasitize roots of sedges and rushes, inducing characteristic galls.

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Entorrhiza: A genus of gall-forming fungi that infects roots of plants in the sedge and rush families. Its species are the best-known examples of the class’s root-parasitic lifestyle.
Fungus: A eukaryotic organism that absorbs nutrients from its surroundings and typically grows as filaments or single cells. Entorrhizomycetes belong to the kingdom Fungi.
Fungal taxonomy: The classification of fungi into named groups based on their traits and evolutionary relationships. Entorrhizomycetes’ rank and placement are questions within fungal classification.
Fungal biodiversity: The variety of fungal species, genes, and ecological roles across environments. The known members may represent only a fraction of this class’s diversity.
Plant gall: An abnormal plant growth induced by an organism such as a fungus, bacterium, mite, or insect. The conspicuous root swellings caused by entorrhizomycetes are fungal galls.
Basidiomycota: A major fungal phylum whose members typically produce sexual spores on specialized cells called basidia. Entorrhizomycetes have been discussed in relation to this large fungal lineage.
Molecular phylogenetics: The study of evolutionary relationships using comparisons of DNA, RNA, or protein sequences. Sequence evidence has helped establish the class as a distinct fungal lineage.
Host specificity: The degree to which a parasite or pathogen is restricted to particular host species or groups. The breadth of plant hosts across sedges and rushes remains relevant to the class’s ecology.
Sedges: Sedges are grasslike flowering plants in the family Cyperaceae, often with solid stems and triangular cross-sections. Many known entorrhizomycetes infect sedge roots.
Ascomycota: A major fungal phylum whose sexual spores form inside saclike structures called asci. Its defining spore structures distinguish this major lineage from entorrhizomycetes.