Fungi
What are Fungi? Characteristics: Eukaryotic Nonphotosynthetic organisms Unicellular or multicellular
What are Fungi? Obtaining Nutrients Most important decomposers of organic material Obtain nutrients by secreting enzymes and absorbing simple organic molecules from the environment
Fungi Structure Made up of short filaments called hyphae Mats of hyphae are called mycelium Some have partitions called septa in their hyphae Fungal cell walls contain CHITIN rather than cellulose Reproduce both sexually and asexually
Fungal Structure
Reproduction Asexual: Produce thousands of genetically identical haploid spores, usually on modified cells of the hyphae Sexual: Fungi occur in mating types----minus and plus When two different types come together, their hyphaes fuse together Produce genetically different spores
Fungal Evolution Fungi evolved 460 million years ago They are thought to have developed from endosymbiotic prokaryotes and then adapted to various environments
Classification of Fungi 3 Phylums of Fungi Ascomycota Basidiomycota Zygomycota
Phylum Zygomycota Zygomycota fungi’s hyphae lack septa Asexual sporangiospores form within sacs called sporangia. Sexual reproduction results in Zygospores Type of Fungus: Bread Mold Example: Black Mold
Phylum Zygomycota
Phylum Basidiomycota Often called the club fungi Examples: Bracket fungi, puff balls, and mushrooms They are spore bearing with above ground sexual reproductive structures called basidiocarps
Phylum Basidiomycota
Phylum Basidiomycota
Phylum Ascomycota Sac Fungi Hyphae form a cup-shaped ascocarp, in which ascospores form Reproduce asexually by budding Yeast is an example of an Ascomycota
Sac Fungi Reproduction In asexual reproduction, tiny spores called CONIDIA are formed at the tips of specialized hyphae called CONIDIOPHORES If conidium lands in a suitable environment, it grows into a haploid mycelium
Sac Fungi Reproduction In sexual reproduction, two different mating types Two mating types nuclei fuse to form a diploid zygote inside a ASCUS Zygote divides by meiosis, followed by a cycle of mitosis, and forms eight ASCOSPORES In favorable environments, ascospores can grow into a haploid mycelium
Ascus
Deuteromycota Fungi with no sexual stage Group: fungi imperfecto Example: Penicillin and athletes foot
Penicillium mold
Mycorrhizae Mycorrhizae are symbiotic structures that form between plant roots and a fungus.
Lichens Lichens represent a symbiotic relationship between fungi and photosynthetic organisms, such as cyanobacteria or green algae.