 Species within the order are generally saprotrophic, most of them wood-rotters, but several are parasitic on grasses or lichens.Those of economic importance include "Waitea circinata", a pathogen of cereal crops, and "Laetisaria fuciformis", the cause of red thread disease in turf grass.The order was established in 2007 by Swedish mycologist Karl-Henrik Larsson, based on molecular phylogenetic research.