Editing Polypore (section)

{{Short description|Group of fungi}}
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[[File:fungi in Borneo.jpg|thumb|Polypores (''[[Ganoderma]]'' sp.) growing on a tree in [[Borneo]]]]

'''Polypores''', also called '''bracket''' or '''shelf fungi,''' are a morphological group of [[basidiomycete]]-like [[gilled mushrooms]] and [[hydnoid fungi]] that form large [[fruiting bodies]] called '''conks''', which are typically woody, circular, shelf- or bracket-shaped, with pores or tubes on the underside.

Conks lie in a close planar grouping of separate or interconnected horizontal rows. Brackets can range from only a single row of a few caps, to dozens of rows of caps that can weigh several hundred pounds. They are mainly found on [[tree]]s (living and dead) and [[coarse woody debris]], and may resemble [[mushroom]]s. Some form annual fruiting bodies while others are perennial and grow larger year after year. Bracket fungi are typically tough and sturdy and produce their spores, called [[basidiospore]]s, within the pores that typically make up the undersurface.

Most polypores inhabit tree trunks or branches consuming the wood, but some soil-inhabiting species form [[mycorrhiza]] with trees. Polypores and the related [[corticioid fungi]] are the most important agents of wood decay, playing a very significant role in [[nutrient cycling]] and aiding carbon dioxide absorption by forest ecosystems. Several polypore species are serious pathogens of plantation trees and are major causes of timber spoilage.

As polypores are much more diverse in old natural forests with abundant [[Coarse woody debris|dead wood]] than in younger managed forests or plantations, a number of species have declined drastically and are under threat of extinction due to [[logging]] and [[deforestation]]. Polypores are used in traditional medicine, and they are actively studied for various industrial applications.