Chytridiomycota

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A phylum of primitive, mostly aquatic fungi-like organisms that typically have flagellated spores and are often found in soil and freshwater
2. A taxonomic division of chytrid fungi, simple organisms that reproduce by motile zoospores and live largely in water or moist environments
3. The biological phylum grouping together chytrids, microscopic fungus-like organisms whose swimming spores distinguish them from most other fungi

Etymology: Chytridiomycota is a modern scientific coinage, not an ancient term. Its core is "chytrid," from the Greek "khytra," meaning "pot" or "pot-like vessel," a name given to these fungi because many produce a single-celled sac or pot-shaped structure in which their spores develop. The "-mycota" ending comes from the Greek "mykes," meaning "fungus," and is the standard suffix for fungal divisions, so the whole name reads roughly as "pot-fungus division." The grouping was established in the twentieth century, when mycologists recognised that these organisms differ from other fungi in a striking way: their zoospores have a single posterior whiplash flagellum, which lets them swim. That motility is unusual among fungi and is why the group was separated out. Its members are largely aquatic or live in damp soil, and some, such as species of "Batrachochytrium," are known for causing serious disease in amphibians.