Fungal morphology – the fruiting body of a typical mushroom In macroscopic fungi such as gilled mushrooms and bracket fungi, what is the technical name for the fruiting body that bears the sexual spore producing structures?

Introduction / Context:
Field identification and laboratory taxonomy of macrofungi depend on recognizing which higher taxon the visible fruiting body belongs to. Classic mushrooms are members of Basidiomycota, and their visible structure is the basidiocarp. Understanding this term connects morphology to sexual spore development and lifecycle.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Mushrooms are typically basidiomycetes, not ascomycetes.
• The visible cap and stalk structure houses basidia that produce basidiospores.
• Different groups have different fruiting body terminology.

Concept / Approach:
Basidiocarps are the macroscopic sexual fruiting bodies of Basidiomycota. On gills, pores, or teeth, basidia generate basidiospores externally. In contrast, ascocarps are the sexual fruiting bodies in Ascomycota that contain asci with internal ascospores. Sorocarps are fruiting bodies of cellular slime molds and are not true fungal structures. Plasmodiocarps arise from plasmodial slime molds, again outside true fungi. Therefore the term specifically linked to mushrooms is basidiocarp.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify taxon: typical mushroom belongs to Basidiomycota.Recall that basidiomycetes form basidia on specialized tissues of the fruiting body.Name of structure: basidiocarp.Select “Basidiocarps.”

Verification / Alternative check:
Introductory mycology references list the mushroom cap (pileus) and stalk (stipe) as parts of the basidiocarp that bears basidia on the hymenium of gills or pores.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Sorocarps and plasmodiocarps: associated with slime molds, not true fungi.
• Ascocarps: sexual bodies of ascomycetes like morels and cup fungi, not typical mushrooms.
• Sporangia: asexual spore sacs in various groups, not the mushroom fruiting body.

Common Pitfalls:
Using “sporocarp” generically. Sporocarp is broad, while basidiocarp is the precise term for mushrooms in Basidiomycota.

Final Answer:
Basidiocarps.