**Importance of Molecular and Phylogenetic Analyses for Identification of Basidiomycetes**

Samina Sarwar, Qudsia Firdous and Abdul Nasir Khalid

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80671

#### **Abstract**

Fungi are considered as diverse group of eukaryotic organisms and have very important role in ecosystem. Although their expected number is more than 2.2–3.8 million, only 120,000 taxa have been identified so far. Basidiomycetes are very large group of fungi including mushrooms, toad stools, puff balls, earth stars, polypores, and rust and smut fungi. Previously, these fungi were identified only by morphological characters that have been considered as variable due to environmental factors. Literature shows that many fungi are misidentified due to phenotypic changes. Molecular methods including phylogenetics prove to be successful aids along with traditional methods for correct identification of these fungi and these have revolutionized fungal reclassification. Many fungal taxa have been shifted to other groups of fungi after their phylogenetic analysis. So, many DNA markers can be used to solve such problems.

**Keywords:** Agaricales, morphology, mushrooms, primers, systematic

#### **1. Introduction**

#### **1.1. Basidiomycetes**

In biologist opinion, relationship of phylogenetics can be the dominant support of research in different areas of biology. The most expressing visions into biology are through species comparisons and phylogenetic analysis of gene sequence background. Its importance can be seen in diverse subfields including physiology, ecology, and molecular biology [1, 2].

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The largest groups of fungi (Basidiomycetes) including many mushrooms, some are edible, have become more significant in recent times for their nutritional and medicinal properties. It is the second largest group of fungi that produce sexual basidiospores in modified cell called the basidium. This class has the resemblance with animal, plants, red and green algae, several groups of slime molds, water molds (oomycetes), brown algae, Ascomycetes (including lichens), and Phycomycetes (Glomeromycetes, Zygomycetes, and Chytridiomycetes) due to the presence of some important similar characters [3].

There are more than 30,000 species in Basidiomycota, and this number is increasing day by day [4]. More specifically, this division of characterization can be portrayed under the number of request of gilled and nongilled fungi [5]. Mueller and his companions [6] exhibited the aggregate expected number of gilled fungi around 80,000; out of which just 13,000 are known yet and these are extremely basic segment of forests, either on rotting wood and other dead plant material as saprotrophs or symbionts with the living cells of plant roots, forming mycorrhizal associations with trees, others are parasites on living plants [7].

#### **1.2. Classification of Basidiomycetes-**

Basidiomycetes are categorized into rusts, smuts, Heterobasidiomycetes, Homobasidiomycetes, Gasteromycetes, Hymenomycetes, Dacrymycetales, Agaricales, and Aphyllophorales [8].
