The Wonderful World of Fungi

Diversity Species Diversity: Ecosystem Diversity: There are more than 100,000 known species of fungi Ecosystem Diversity: Fungi contribute greatly to ecosystem diversity by contributing to a vast number of connections between different organisms

Ecosystem Diversity 80% of plants are part of a symbiotic relationship with fungi The fungi provide vital nutrients to the plants which would otherwise be unavailable Decomposers Fungi are heterotrophic Fungi acquire nutrients by releasing enzymes which externally digest dead organic material The fungi can then absorb the nutrients

Ecosystem Diversity Parasitic Fungi 80% of plant diseases are due to parasitic fungi The parasitic fungi absorb nutrients from the living plant Examples include corn smut, potato blight, and black knot Some fungi can also hunt invertebrates

Ecosystem Diversity Lichen Lichen are formed by a symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae The fungi provide structural support and the algae provide  carbohydrates (glucose) through the process of photosynthesis This allows the two organisms from different kingdoms to survive in areas where neither would be able to live on their own

Structure and Function of Fungi Use page 49 of your textbook to complete the note on the Structure and Function of Fungi

How Fungi Reproduce Fungi can reproduce either asexually or sexually Asexual reproduction: A piece of the hyphae breaks off or spores are released Both cause a new network of hyphae to be produced

Spores Spores are: Haploid cells with thick cell walls Thick cells walls helps them withstand unfavorable conditions for long periods of time Function as the dispersal stage in the reproduction of fungi Are produced by a special structure called a sporangium

Sexual Reproduction of the Fungal Kind Fungi exhibit two different sexes termed ‘+’ and ‘-’ Opposite haploid hyphae grow towards each other and fuse to form a special diploid structure called a zygospore The zygospore then produces haploid spores which are genetically unique

Sexual Reproduction of the Fungal Kind In club and sac fungi, when hyphae from two different fungi join they form a dikaryotic hyphae Dikaryotic cells are unique to the fungi kingdom; they contain two nuclei On nuclei in the dikaryotic cell is from one parent, the second is from the other parent

Sexual Reproduction of the Fungal Kind The dikaryotic hyphae then grows into a fruiting body above the ground Eventually the dikaryotic nuclei fuse, forming a single diploid nucleus The diploid nucleus then divides into haploid spores and the cycle continues

Overview of the Kingdom Fungi

Reproduction and Fungi Asexual reproduction allows fungi to disperse throughout the environment without the need of additional genetic input Sexual reproduction increases genetic diversity of the fungi, allowing them to adapt to changing environmental conditions Biologists use the reproductive structures of fungi to classify them into 4 different phyla

How Fungi Resproduce…