Divisions of Fungi Basidiomycota Includes mushrooms Called basidiomycetes Basidiocarp Dikaryotic stage (2 nuclei) Basidiospores Basidium

Divisions of Fungi: Life Cycle of Basidiomycota Figure 8.7: The life cycle of a typical basidiomycete

Divisions of Fungi Basidiomycota About 25,000 named species Puffballs Shelf fungi Earthstars Stinkhorns Jelly fungi Gill fungi (including poisonous ones) Rust disease Smut disease

Divisions of Fungi Deuteromycota About 25,000 species No currently identified form of sexual reproduction Also known as deuteromycetes or Fungi Imperfecti Conidia Many human pathogens Dermatophytes of athlete’s foot

Beneficial and Harmful Fungi Yeasts Saccharomyces Ascomycota Single cells Saccharomyces cerevisiae Baking Accumulation of CO2 during Krebs cycle makes dough rise Enzymes break down gluten, giving spongy texture Saccharomyces ellipsoideus Brewing Fermentation results in production of CO2 and ethanol Different starting materials give rise to wines and beers Reproduced by permission of the National Research Council of Canada; E.M. Peterson, R.J. Hawlay, and R.A. Calerone. The Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 22(10): 1518-1522. Fig. 8.1a

Beneficial and Harmful Fungi Lichens Association between fungus and photosynthetic partner Approximately 15,000 lichen species Almost all have an ascomycetes as the fungus Most frequent photosynthetic partners Trebouxia (green algae) Trentephila (green algae) Nostoc (cyanobacterium) © Popovici loan/ShutterStock, Inc. Fig 8.10 lichens

Beneficial and Harmful Fungi Lichens Grow in a diversity of environments Arid deserts Arctic zones Bare soil Tree trunks Rocky areas Photosynthetic partner provides sugar and carbohydrates Fungal partner supplies protection and basic biochemical building blocks Can survive in as little as 2% water Very slow growth (less than 10 mm per year)

Beneficial and Harmful Fungi Mycorrhizae Mutualistic fungi that live amongst roots of vascular plants Over 5,000 species Plant provides photosynthetic products Fungi provide more nutrients than plant can absorb through roots alone Garden plants typically associate with zygomycetes

Beneficial and Harmful Fungi Fungi and human disease Candida albicans Normal vaginal flora Held in check by other acid-producing flora Overuse of antibiotics, which may kill normal flora, leads to yeast infection (candidiasis) Can be treated Antifungal creams Eating yogurt Normal oral flora If immune depleted (e.g., AIDS), can infect mouth Disease is called thrush Treatment with oral antifungals Reprinted with permission from the American Society for Microbiology (Balish, E., Balish, M.J., Salkowski, C.A., Lee, K.W., and Bartizal, K.F; Appli. Environ. Microbiol, 1984 May; 47(4): 647-625.) Figure 8.11: An SEM of Candida albicans

Beneficial and Harmful Fungi Fungi and human disease Cryptococcus neoformans Infects lungs and meninges Tinea diseases Skin infections Athlete’s foot Barber’s itch Jock itch Ringworm Reprinted with permission from the American Society for Microbiology (ASM News. December 1998, Vol. 64(12): 693-698) Photo courtesy of Doctor Stuart Levitz, University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Reprinted with permission from the American Society for Microbiology (Dykstra, M.A., Friedman, L. and Murphy, J.W.; Infect. Immun. 1977 May; 16(1): 129-135.) Figure 8.13: Ringworm from Trichopyton tonsurans Fig. 8.12: C. neoformans © Medical-on-Line/Alamy Images

Beneficial and Harmful Fungi Fungi and human disease Aspergillus spp. (A. fumigatus, A. flavus, A. niger) In large quantities or in the immunocompromised spores may infect the lungs causing Aspergillosis Coccidioides immitis Respiratory disease American Southwest May proceed to meningitis Sometimes called Valley Fever Histoplasma capsulatum Found in bird droppings Respiratory illness Blastomyces dermititidis