Fungi constitute one of the main lineages of life; however, the recognition of fungi is often
limited to molds, possibly due to their privileged presence in textbooks. For the Basidiomycota,
although the typical mushroom morphology (umbrella shape) stands out, it is still not
comprehensive, as observed for the gasteroid fungi, a taxon of great importance for the most
diverse ecosystems, but little known among the basidiomycetes. The objective of this research
was to investigate the perception of high school students from a public school in Santarém city,
located in the western region of Pará, regarding the recognition of gasteroid fungi as part of
mycodiversity compared to other fungal taxa. Seventy-one students from all three years (1st, 2nd
and 3rd) of high school were surveyed. They were presented with 20 samples of macroscopic
fungi with different morphologies, including one microscopic species (mold). The samples
were mixed and numbered, allowing the students to identify those of fungal origin and classify
the others based on their understanding. Following the activity, an expository and dialogic class
on fungi and their importance was conducted, highlighting gasteroid fungi and their
morphologies. The collected data was summarized, and hierarchical grouping analysis was
employed to aggregate samples with similar levels of recognition. The mold sample was
recognized by 100% of the students. The samples with mushroom-like morphology and wood
ear morphology had recognition indexes ranging from 70% to 100%. In contrast, the sample
with distinct morphology had a recognition index of only 50%, dropping to less than 5% for
gasteroid fungi. Cluster analysis revealed the formation of three groups: one comprising fungi
with mushroom and wood ear shapes, another representing samples with intermediate
recognition, and the third consisting of gasteroid fungi, which were least recognized due to
students considering them as part of the plant kingdom. In conclusion, mold remains the most
easily recognized group of fungi, while morphologies typically associated with mushrooms and
wood ears also have a good recognition among students. For gasteroid fungi, it is necessary to
intensify dissemination efforts, mainly to disassociate their morphology from plants. For this,
it is important to expand teaching practices beyond classrooms and textbooks in order to
increase students' perception and broaden the vision of biodiversity briefly presented in the
school routine, thus making the conservation of fungi in all its magnitude, including gasteroid
fungi, a recurring theme as it already occurs for animals and plants.
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