''Endogone'' is a genus of fungi in the family

Endogonaceae Endogonales is an order of fungi within the phylum of Zygomycota. It contains 2 families, Endogonaceae, with four genera and 27 species and Densosporaceae, with one genera and 5 species. Genera ''Endogonaceae''; * ''Endogone'' * '' Jimgerdema ...

of the division Zygomycota. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in temperate regions, and contains about 20 species. Species of ''Endogone'' form underground structures called '' sporocarps''—fruiting structures measuring between a few millimeters to in diameter, containing densely interwoven

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one or ...

e and zygospores. Sporocarps are typically found in

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

-rich soil or leaf mold, or in

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

es. Although most species will only produce spores in nature, the type species ''E. pisiformis'' can be made to

sporulate In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

in test tube culture when grown with

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

seedlings.

Taxonomy

''Endogone'' was first circumscribed by

Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link (2 February 1767 – 1 January 1851) was a German naturalist and botanist. Biography Link was born at Hildesheim as a son of the minister August Heinrich Link (1738–1783), who taught him love of nature throug ...

in an 1809 publication. In 1922,

Roland Thaxter Roland Thaxter (August 28, 1858 – April 22, 1932) was an American mycologist, plant pathologist, botanist, and entomologist, renowned for his contribution to the insect parasitic fungi—Laboulbeniales. His college education was completed at Har ...

revised the taxonomy of the family

, recognizing four genera: ''Endogone'', ''Sphaerocreas'', ''Sclerocystis'', and ''Glaziella''. In 1935,

Herbert Zycha Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...

transferred the sole species of ''Sphaerocreas'' recognized by Thaxter to ''Endogone''. In their 1974

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...

of the

, James Gerdemann and James Trappe deviated from Thaxter’s concept of ''Endogone'', which contained taxa with chlamydospores and zygospores, including only those species that formed zygospores in sporocarps. In the mid-1990s, Yi-Jian Yao and colleagues further restricted ''Endogone'' to those species that produced

suspensor Suspensors are anatomical structures found in certain fungi and plants. Fungi In fungi, suspensors are filamentous structural formations having the function of holding a zygospore between two strains of hyphae. Plants In plants, suspensors are ...

s that were in contact with one another along the entire length. Those taxa in which the suspensors did not touch one another were transferred to a new genus, '' Youngiomyces''. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ''endo'' (inside) and ''gone'' (reproductive organs).Gerdemann & Trappe, 1974, p. 8.

Description

''Endogone'' species are sporocarpic—they form a fruit body termed a '' sporocarp'', on which spore-bearing structures are borne. The zygospores—a

diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...

reproductive stage in the life cycle—are formed above the point of union of two gametangia, or from a budding from the larger of the two. Species in the genus can be saprobic, ectomycorrhizal, or both.

Ecology

Depending on the species, sporocarps have been noted to have the odor of onions, burnt sugar, or fish.Gerdemann & Trappe, 1974, pp. 11–19. ''Endogone'' grows in soil, on rotting wood, sphagnum or other plant material either as

saprobes Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi (f ...

ectomycorrhiza An ectomycorrhiza (from Greek ἐκτός ', "outside", μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. ectomycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizae, abbreviated EcM) is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or mycobi ...

l associates. ''Endogone'' is especially important in the ecology of nutrient-poor soils. For example, ''Endogone'' fungi are known to grow in sand dunes, a nutrient-deficient

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (locomotion), the surface over which an organism lo ...

. Dune plants are dependent upon the fungus for growth and ecological success: the mycelium of the fungus helps aggregate and

stabilize Stabilizer, stabiliser, stabilisation or stabilization may refer to: Chemistry and food processing * Stabilizer (chemistry), a substance added to prevent unwanted change in state of another substance ** Polymer stabilizers are stabilizers use ...

the sand in a network of

e, giving it cohesion and helping early succession plants establish roots. It also traps and binds fragments of organic material such as decaying roots and

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s. Various species of rodents and shrews include ''Endogone'' fungi in their diets, including the southeastern shrew (''Sorex longirostris''), the

masked shrew The cinereus shrew or masked shrew (''Sorex cinereus'') is a small shrew found in Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States. This is the most widely distributed shrew in North America, where it is also known as the common shrew. Descriptio ...

(''Sorex cinereus''), the

vagrant shrew The vagrant shrew (''Sorex vagrans''), also known as the wandering shrew, is a medium-sized North American shrew. At one time, the montane shrew and the Orizaba long-tailed shrew were considered to belong to the same species. Range and habitat ...

(''Sorex vagrans''), the

woodland jumping mouse The woodland jumping mouse (''Napaeozapus insignis'') is a species of jumping mouse found in North America. It can jump up to using its extremely strong feet and long tail. Taxonomy Representatives of the family Dipodidae are found in the nort ...

(''Napaeozapus insignis''), the

Siskiyou chipmunk The Siskiyou chipmunk (''Neotamias siskiyou'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to northern California and central Oregon in the United States. Anatomy and morphology The Siskiyou chipmunk is closest in appearance ...

(''Tamias siskiyou''), and the

marsh rice rat The marsh rice rat (''Oryzomys palustris'') is a semiaquatic North American rodent in the family Cricetidae. It usually occurs in wetland habitats, such as swamps and salt marshes. It is found mostly in the eastern and southern United States, fr ...

(''Oryzomys palustris'').

Species

*'' E. acrogena'' Gerd., Trappe & Hosford 1974 *'' E. aggregata'' P.A.Tandy 1975 – Australia *'' E. alba'' (Petch) Gerd. & Trappe 1974 *'' E. arenaria'' Thaxt. 1922 *'' E. aurantiaca'' Blaszk. 1997 *'' E. crassa'' P.A.Tandy 1975 – Australia *'' E. flammicorona'' Trappe & Gerd. 1972 *'' E. incrassata'' Thaxt. 1922 *'' E. irregularis'' Szem. 1965 *'' E. kaiseriana'' Henn. 1908 *'' E. lactiflua'' Berk. 1846 *'' E. lanata'' Harkn. 1899 *'' E. maritima'' Blaszk., Tadych & Madej 1998 *'' E. minutissima'' Beeli 1924 – Europe *'' E. oregonensis'' Gerd. & Trappe 1974 *'' E. pegleri'' Y.J.Yao 1995 *'' E. pisiformis'' Link 1809 *'' E. pseudopisiformis'' Y.J.Yao 1995 *'' E. reticulata'' P.A.Tandy 1975 – Australia *'' E. rosea'' Zeller 1941 *'' E. sphagnophila'' G.F.Atk. 1918 *'' E. tjibodensis'' Boedijn 1935 *'' E. torrendii'' Bres. 1920 *'' E. tuberculosa'' Lloyd 1918 *'' E. verrucosa'' Gerd. & Trappe 1974 *'' E. xylogena'' J.Schröt. 1887

References

Cited literature

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5376344 Zygomycota genera Taxa named by Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link Taxa described in 1809 Zygomycota