title: The good, the bad and the tasty: The many roles of mushrooms.
abstract: Fungi are often inconspicuous in nature and this means it is all too easy to overlook their importance. Often referred to as the "Forgotten Kingdom", fungi are key components of life on this planet. The phylumBasidiomycota, considered to contain the most complex and evolutionarily advanced members of this Kingdom, includes some of the most iconic fungal species such as the gilled mushrooms, puffballs and bracket fungi. Basidiomycetes inhabit a wide range of ecological niches, carrying out vital ecosystem roles, particularly in carbon cycling and as symbiotic partners with a range of other organisms. Specifically in the context of human use, the basidiomycetes are a highly valuable food source and are increasingly medicinally important. In this review, seven main categories, or 'roles', for basidiomycetes have been suggested by the authors: as model species, edible species, toxic species, medicinal basidiomycetes, symbionts, decomposers and pathogens, and two species have been chosen as representatives of each category. Although this is in no way an exhaustive discussion of the importance of basidiomycetes, this review aims to give a broad overview of the importance of these organisms, exploring the various ways they can be exploited to the benefit of human society.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK; School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.
authors.forename: K M J
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: de Mattos-Shipley
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK; School of Life Sciences and Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alberti
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK; School of Biology, Devonshire Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Banks
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Foster
keywords: Agaricomycete; Basidiomycete; Model species; Mushroom