XVI International Botanical Congess

In contrast to Homobasidiomycetes, heterobasidiomycetous fungi have a surprisingly high percentage of diverse and systematically important character transformations, indicating a general, organismic evolutionary strategy. These are, inter alia: repeated derivation of holobasidia from phragmobasidia, loss of active spore discharge, loss of variable spore germination and loss of ontogenetic yeast stages. In contrast, there is a gradual increase in complexity of septal pore types. Such diversity of principal characteristics is unknown in Homobasidiomycetes. An overview of monophyletic groups in heterobasidiomycetous fungi is given. Key-taxa for phylogenetic connections, and the new system of smuts will be explained. Results of molecular taxonomy are reconsidered.