Fungi The decomposers
Ecological Importance Decomposition Symbiosis with plants (mycorrhizae)
Economic Importance FermentationFood
Economic Importance: Antibiotics
Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota
Characteristcs of fungi Feed by absorption Most are multicellular Thread-like filaments called hyphae Hyphae organized into mycelium Asexual and sexual reproduction Chitin cell walls
Fusion of cytoplasm Heterokaryotic stage Fusion of nuclei Diploid stage Haploid stage
Zygomycota Zygote fungi Rhizopus stolonifer Pilobolus crystallinus
Ascomycota: Sac fungi Peziza Morels Ergot Penicillium
Ergot alkaloids Responsible for Salem witch trials? Ergotamine is a precursor to LSD
Basidiomycota: Club fungi
Pileus Stipe Gills
Fungi imperfecti (once called Deuteromycota) Imperfect or asexual fungi Reproduce only vegetatively (asexually) Many human diseases are imperfect fungi Athlete’s foot, ringworm, candida “yeast” infections A fungi from this group is used to make Roquefort and blue cheeses
Lichen a symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae or cyanobacteria (commonly Nostoc)