Kingdom Fungi

The Characteristics of Fungi Fungi are NOT plants Non-photosynthetic Eukaryotes Nonmotile Most are saprobes (live on dead organisms)

The Characteristics of Fungi Absorptive heterotrophs (digest food first & then absorb it into their bodies Release digestive enzymes to break down organic material or their host Store food energy as glycogen BREAD MOLD

The Characteristics of Fungi Important decomposers & recyclers of nutrients in the environment Most are multicellular, except unicellular yeast Lack true roots, stems or leaves MULTICELLULAR MUSHROOM UNICELLULAR YEAST

The Characteristics of Fungi Cell walls are made of chitin (complex polysaccharide) Body is called the thallus Grow as microscopic tubes or filaments called hyphae that grow into the food.

The Characteristics of Fungi Some are edible, while others are poisonous EDIBLE POISONOUS

The Characteristics of Fungi Produce both via sexually and asexually via spores Classified by their sexual reproductive structures Spores come in various shapes

The Characteristics of Fungi Grow best in warm, moist environments Mycology is the study of fungi Mycologists study fungi A fungicide is a chemical used to kill fungi Fungicide kills leaf fungus

The Characteristics of Fungi Fungi include puffballs, yeasts, mushrooms, toadstools, rusts, smuts, ringworm, and molds Penicillium mold Puffball

Benefits to Humans Prevent the spread of pathogenic diseases caused by bacteria The antibiotic penicillin is made by the Penicillium mold Prevent growth of some cancer cells Treat human diseases

Hyphal growth Hyphae grow from their tips Mycelium is an extensive, feeding web of hyphae Mycelia are the ecologically active bodies of fungi This wall is rigid Only the tip wall is plastic and stretches

SPORES Spores are an adaptation to life on land Ensure that the species will disperse to new locations Each spore contains a reproductive cell that forms a new organism Nonmotile Dispersed by wind

- + SEXUAL REPRODUCTION Haploid 1n hyphae from 2 mating types (+ and -) FUSE (Fertilization) Forms a hyphae with 2 nuclei that becomes a ZYGOTE The zygote divides to make a SPORE - + SPORE FORMS

Three types of Asexual Reproduction Fragmentation – part of the mycelium becomes separated & begins a life of its own Budding – a small cell forms & gets pinched off as it grows to full size Used by yeasts Asexual spores – production of spores by a single mycelium

Reproduce by spores Spores may be Formed: Directly on hyphae Inside sporangia On Fruiting bodies Penicillium hyphae Fungi reproduce by releasing spores that are produced either sexually or asexually. The output of spores from one reproductive structure is enormous, with the number reaching into the trillions. Dispersed widely by wind or water, spores germinate to produce mycelia if they land in a moist place where there is food. Amanita fruiting body Pilobolus sporangia

Fruiting Bodies are modified hyphae that make asexual spores ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION Fruiting Bodies are modified hyphae that make asexual spores An upright stalk called the Sporangiosphore supports the spore case or Sporangium

Types of Fruiting Bodies: Basidia Sporangia Ascus ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION Types of Fruiting Bodies: Basidia Sporangia Ascus Sporangia Basidia

Both are composed of hyphae Fruiting Bodies Both are composed of hyphae mycelium

Hyphal growth from spore Germinating spore Fungal mycelia can be huge, but they usually escape notice because they are subterranean. One giant individual of Armillaria ostoyae in Oregon is 3.4 miles in diameter and covers 2,200 acres of forest, It is at least 2,400 years old, and weighs hundreds of tons. (Actually noone has seen this of this extent – but cultures have been taken from soil over that area and all isolates have been found to be the same individual) Ten cubic centimeters of rich organic soil may have fungal hyphae with a surface area of over 300 cm2 mycelium Mycelia have a huge surface area More surface area aids digestion & absorption of food

It’s All About the Spores! Spores are everywhere! Wind, animals, water, & insects spread spores Spores germinates when they land on a moist surface (new hyphae form)

Major Groups of Fungi Basidiomycota – Club Fungi Zygomycota – Bread Molds Ascomycota – Sac Fungi Lichens – Symbiosis (algae & Fungi)

ZYGOmycota

Rhizopus on strawberries Zygomycota Rhizopus on strawberries Called the sporangium fungi Commonly called molds Also includes blights Grow rapidly Includes bread mold Tomato Blight Most of the 600 zygomycote, or zygote fungi, are terrestrial, living in soil or on decaying plant and animal material. Asexual reproduction in sporangia One zygomycote group form mycorrhizas, mutualistic associations with the roots of plants.

Basidiomycota

Basidiomycota Called Club fungi Includes: Mushrooms Toadstools Bracket & Shelf fungi Puffballs Stinkhorns Rusts and smuts Asexual spores conidia Ecologically important on wood as decomposers and parasites Half the mushrooms form mycorrhizas

USES For Basidiomycota Some are used as food (mushrooms) Others damage crops (rusts & smuts) Portobello Mushrooms Soybean Rust Corn Smut

ASCOMYCOTA

Characteristics Called Sac fungi Includes Cup fungi, morels, truffles, yeasts, and mildew May be plant parasites (Dutch elm disease and Chestnut blight) Reproduce sexually & asexually Mycologists have described over 60,000 species of ascomycetes, or sac fungi. Ascomycota tend to grow from spore to spore in one year and relate well to living plant tissues There is diverse form in the growth and fruiting structures – yeasts to morels, many intermediate (and small) Asexual reproduction by conidia (externally produced, not in sporangia) Half of the Ascomycota form lichens (evolved 8 or more times in different orders) but not all lichens are Ascomycotes

Characteristics Yeasts reproduce asexually by budding (buds break off to make more yeast cells) Asexual spores called conidia form on the tips of special hyphae called conidiophores Mycologists have described over 60,000 species of ascomycetes, or sac fungi. Ascomycota tend to grow from spore to spore in one year and relate well to living plant tissues There is diverse form in the growth and fruiting structures – yeasts to morels, many intermediate (and small) Asexual reproduction by conidia (externally produced, not in sporangia) Half of the Ascomycota form lichens (evolved 8 or more times in different orders) but not all lichens are Ascomycotes CONIDIA

YEASTS BUDDING Saccharomyces Bread and wine yeast, the budding yeast, Saccharomyces Easily cultured. For a time, this was the most important organism for studying the molecular genetics of eukaryotes Thus, Saccharomyces is arguably the most important organism known to humans Candida causes diseases of humans, usually experiencing chemical imbalance or immune problems Saccharomyces

Uses of Ascomycetes Truffles and morels are good examples of edible ascomycetes Penicillium mold makes the antibiotic penicillin. Some ascomycetes also gives flavor to certain cheeses. Saccharomyces cerevesiae (yeast) is used to make bread rise and to ferment beer & wine.

MYCORRHIZAe

Fungus associated with plant roots Mutualism between: MYCORRHIZAES Fungus associated with plant roots Mutualism between: Fungus (nutrient & water uptake for plant) Plant (carbohydrate for fungus) Extremely important ecologically Fixes nitrogen for plants Half of the mushroom-forming fungi (basidiomycota) form mycorrhizas with trees Some people think that the spongy tissue in roots evolved as a place where fungi could invade to form early links with plants that helped them survive the harsh life on early earth

LICHENS

Algae or cyanobacteria (provides food) LICHENS Mutualism between: Fungus (structure) Algae or cyanobacteria (provides food) Form a thallus (body) Thallus is a plant-like body that doesn’t have roots, stems or leaves Thallus doesn’t look like either partner Dual nature of thalli was not fully understood until early 1900’s Fungus gives the name to the lichen (by agreement) Fungus usually, but not always, an Ascomycote (in 8+ independent orders) Algae green. If bluegreen bacteria present, lichens fix nitrogen (turn atmospheric nitrogen into amino acid nitrogen in proteins)

LICHEN STRUCTURE The nature of lichen symbiosis is may also be described as mutual exploitation instead of mutual benefit. Lichens live in environments where neither fungi nor algae could live alone. While the fungi do not grow alone in the wild, some (but not all) lichen algae occur as free-living organisms. If cultured separately, the fungi do not produce lichen compounds and the algae do not “leak” carbohydrate from their cells. In some lichens, the fungus invades algal cells with haustoria and kills some of them, but not as fast as the algae replenish its numbers by reproduction. Lobaria oregana prefers old-growth conifer canopies in forests with clean air.

LICHENS AS BIOMONITORS Some species more sensitive than others to pollutants and can indicate air quality Bio-indicators of climate change Lichens are in important food source for herbivores in the tundra Analysis for sulfur and heavy metals in resistant species shows levels relative to levels in the environment