The Kingdom Fungi Ode to Mushrooms!

Main Characteristics Eukaryotic Heterotrophs Digest food outside their body then absorb it Have cell walls made of chitin Multicellular (except for yeast) Composed of filaments called hyphae Can contain cross walls Tangle mass of hyphae called mycelium Huge surface area for absorption Mushroom is the fruiting body

Reproduction - Asexually Reproduce asexually Hyphae can break off and begin to grow on their own Called fragmentation Produce spores in structures called sporangia Found on the tips of specialized hyphae called sporangiophores

Reproduction - Sexually Reproduce sexually Two mating types called “+” (plus) and “-“ (minus) From a gamete forming structure called a gametangium Opposites meet and fuse into a zygote Starts meiosis to make haploid spores again  Spores scatter in the wind and germinate in favourable conditions

Classification Classified according to their structure and method of reproduction 4 phyla

Phylum Zygomycota, or common mold Life cycle includes zygospores Resting spore resulting from sexual reproduction Can be dormant a long time Check out the life cycle on p. 531   Ex. Rhizopus

Phylum Ascomycota, or sac fungi Life cycle contains an ascus Reproductive structure containing spores In asexual reproduction, tiny spores called conidia are formed on the tips of conidiophores In sexual reproduction, the haploid hyphae grow close together and become N + N which produce a fruiting body Within the ascus the nuclei finally fuse then undergoes meiosis followed by mitosis to produce eight ascospores

Phylum Ascomycota - Yeast Yeasts are an anomaly since they are unicellular but still form ascospores during sexual reproduction Undergo asexual reproduction called budding

Phylum Basidiomycota, or club fungi Specialized reproductive structures that look like a club Called basidia Found on the gills underneath a mushroom cap Complex life cycle Haploid hyphae of different mating types fuse to become N + N Secondary mycelium grows for years Fruiting bodies can emerge overnight as hyphae enlarge Gills are lined with basidia Nuclei fuse to become a zygote then undergo meiosis Form a cluster of four haploid basidiospores

Phylum Basidiomycota Very diverse group Shelf fungi Puffballs Plant parasites “mushrooms”

Phylum Deuteromycota, or imperfect fungi Sexual stages have never been seen by scientists   Best known is Penicillium