Blastocladiomycota is one of eight currently recognized phyla within the kingdom Fungi. These zoosporic fungi are found in soil and fresh water habitats and are mostly detritivores

Detritivore

Detritivores, also known as detritophages or detritus feeders or detritus eaters or saprophages, are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus . By doing so, they contribute to decomposition and the nutrient cycles...

, subsisting on decaying organic matter.

Three of the five families within Blastocladiomycota exclusively contain pathogens. These infect species such as water bears

Tardigrade

Tardigrades form the phylum Tardigrada, part of the superphylum Ecdysozoa. They are microscopic, water-dwelling, segmented animals with eight legs. Tardigrades were first described by Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773...

, the plankton Daphnia

Daphnia

Daphnia are small, planktonic crustaceans, between 0.2 and 5 mm in length. Daphnia are members of the order Cladocera, and are one of the several small aquatic crustaceans commonly called water fleas because of their saltatory swimming style...

, nematodes, various aquatic and semi-aquatic plants, and mosquito larvae.

Blastoclades were originally included in the phylum Chytridiomycota

Chytridiomycota

Chytridiomycota is a division of the Fungi kingdom. The name is derived from the Greek chytridion, meaning "little pot", describing the structure containing unreleased spores. In older classifications, chytrids were placed in the Class Phycomycetes under the subdivision Myxomycophyta of the...

 until DNA sequencing in 2006 elevated it and its "sister phyla" Neocallimastigomycota

Neocallimastigomycota

Neocallimastigomycota is a phylum of anaerobic fungi, found in the digestive tracts of herbivores. It encompasses only one family.-Discovery:...

.