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 trees (living and dead) and coarse woody debris, and may resemble mushrooms. 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 basidiospores, 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 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.

Taxonomy

thumb|[[Trametes versicolor, a colorful bracket fungus, commonly known as turkey tail]]

thumb|A bracket fungus ([[Pycnoporus sp.) with a tough, woody cap]]

thumb|The [[blushing bracket showing the red bruising, which is one identification characteristic The orders containing most polypore species are the Polyporales (genera such as Fomes, Polyporus and Trametes) and Hymenochaetales (e.g. Oxyporus, Phellinus and Trichaptum). Economically perhaps the most significant polypores Heterobasidion spp., pests of conifer plantations, belong to the Russulales.

Currently polypores are divided into about 170 genera.

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File:Polyporus sp.jpg|Polyporus sp. fruit bodies with stalk (Indonesia)

File:Fomitopsis pinicola FI.jpg|Perennial conk of Fomitopsis pinicola on spruce

File:Gloeoporus taxicola.jpg|Effused fruit bodies of Meruliopsis taxicola on a pine log

File:Onderkant buisjeszwam.jpg|bottom side polypore with pores/tubes clearly visible

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Delimitation (morphology)

Most polypores have a poroid hymenium, but not all species. A few, for instance Elmerina holophaea and Lenzites betulina, form gills like agarics but are still considered polypores, since in all other respects they are similar to closely related polypores, forming tough fruiting bodies on the wood. A couple of species where the tubes have not fused together in a honey-comb manner are variably classified as polypores or not (e.g. Porotheleum fimbriatum). There's no clear distinction between polypores and hydnoid fungi - some polypores with irregularly poroid lower surface have been considered both polypores and hydnoid fungi (e.g. Echinodontium tinctorium, Irpex lacteus).

Bolete mushrooms are a separate morphological group not included in polypores even though they have tubes. Fleshy fruiting bodies with a stalk and microscopic characters separate boletes from polypores.

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File:Irpex lacteus2.jpg|Irpex lacteus with irregular pores

File:Elmerina holophaea.jpg|Elmerina holophaea, a polypore with gills

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Ecology

thumb|[[Trametes versicolor growing on a rotting log]]

Bracket fungi often grow in semi-circular shapes, looking like trees or wood. They can be parasitic, saprotrophic, or both. One of the more common genera, Ganoderma, can grow large thick shelves that may contribute to the death of the tree, and then feed off the wood for years after. Their hardiness means they are very resilient and can live for quite a long time, with many species even developing multi-coloured circles of colour that are actually annual growth rings.

Polypores are among the most efficient decomposers of lignin and cellulose, the main components of wood. Due to this ability they dominate communities of wood-rotting organisms in land ecosystems along with corticioid fungi. Through decomposing tree trunks they recycle a major part of nutrients in forests. Brown-rot fungi are prevalent on conifer hosts and open, sun-exposed habitats. The fungal community in any single trunk may include both white-rot and brown-rot species, complementing each other's wood degradation strategies.

Polypores and other decomposer fungi are the first step in food chains that feed on decomposed plant material. A rich fauna of insects, mites and other invertebrates feed on polypore mycelium and fruiting bodies, further providing food for birds and other larger animals. Woodpeckers and other hole nesting birds typically carve their nests in softer wood decomposed by polypores.).

Polypores can decline for many reasons. They can be dependent on a single host or a very special habitat. For instance Echinodontium ballouii has been found only in Atlantic white cedar swamps in the Northeastern USA. Species can be dependent on very old tree individuals like Bridgeoporus nobilissimus of the Northwestern USA. "Steget före" list included six polypores in three value classes. In Finland, a list of 30 species for spruce-dominated forests was published in 1993 and widely adopted. Later a similar list for pine-dominated forests was published. Longer lists of indicator species have since been published in Sweden.

Many indicator species are red-listed, but not necessarily all. National red lists of fungi typically include many polypores and are used as indicator lists of conservation value in many European countries.

Uses

Some species of bracket fungi are edible, such as chicken of the woods; the lingzhi mushroom is another, which is used in Chinese medicine. They can also be used as a wick in an oil/fat lamp.

The tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) has been used as tinder since at least the time of Ötzi the Iceman. It has also been used to make a material similar to leather.

Ganoderma applanatum, the artist's conk, is used as a substrate for drawings. Fresh specimens develop dark brown lines when drawn upon with a stylus. The lines become permanent when the specimen is dried.

Polypores used in traditional medicine are Ganoderma lucidum coll. (reishi or lingzhi),

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