The Kingdom Fungi Unit VI Chapter 21 L. Carnes

Common Types of Fungi

What are Fungi?  Fungi are eukaryotic heterotrophs that have cell walls made of chitin (a carbohydrate). Fungi DO NOT ingest their food, but rather they digest food OUTSIDE their bodies and the ABSORB it! FUNGI ARE NOT PLANTS!

Structure & Function of Fungi  Except for yeasts, ALL fungi are multi- cellular and composed of tiny filaments called hyphae. The bodies of multicellular fungi are composed of many hyphae tangled together into a thick mass called a mycelium. The mycelium is well suited to absorb food. The fruiting body is a reproductive structure that develops from a mycelium that grows below the surface of the ground.

Fungi Structure

Hyphae – Close Up View

Reproduction in Fungi  Most fungi reproduce both asexually and sexually. Asexual:  In some fungi, spores are produced in structures called sporangia.  Sporangia are found at the tips of specialized hyphae called sporangiophores. Sexual:  Sexual reproduction involves a gametangium - a gamete-forming structure produced when the hyphae of opposing mating types of fungi meet.

Reproduction in Fungi

Classification of Fungi  Fungi are classified according to their structure and method of reproduction  The 4 main groups of fungi are: 1. Zygomycota (common molds) 2. Ascomycota (sac fungi) 3. Basidiomycota (club fungi) 4. Deuteromycota (imperfect fungi)

Zygomycota – The Common Molds  Zygomycetes are the familiar molds that grown on meat, cheese, and bread. Ex: Rhizopus stolonifer (black bread mold). the rootlike hyphae that anchor the fungus to the bread are called rhizoids the stem-like hyphae that run along the surface of the bread are called stolons

Ascomycota – The Sac Fungi  The phylum Ascomycota is named for the ascus, a reproductive structure that contains spores. Ascomycetes are the largest phyum in the kingdom Fungi. Some are large and some are microscopic. Examples: cup fungi (large) and yeasts (microscopic).

Sac Fungi - Ascomycota CUP FUNGI (visible to the eye) YEASTS (microscopic)

Basidiomycota – The Club Fungi  The phylum Basidiomycota gets its name from a specialized reproductive structure (called a basidium) that resembles a club.  Includes:  Mushrooms  Shelf fungi  Puffballs  Earthstars  Jelly fungi  Plant rusts  Bird’s nest fungi

Diversity of Club Fungi EARTH STAR JELLY FUNGI MUSHROOM BIRD’S NEST FUNGI PUFFBALL SHELF FUNGI

Deuteromycota – The Imperfect Fungi  Deuteromycota is an extremely varied phylum composed of those fungi that are not placed in other phyla. The term imperfect implies that these fungi do not appear to have sexual reproduction. Ex: Penicillium notatum – the source of antibiotic penicillin.

Fungi as Heterotrophs  ALL FUNGI ARE HETEROTROPHS – BUT THEY OBTAIN NUTRIENTS IN VARIOUS WAYS: Many are saprobes, organisms that obtain food from decaying organic matter. Some are parasites which harm other organisms. Some are symbionts that live in close and mutually beneficial association with other species.

Fungi as Decomposers  Fungi are found in every ecosystem, where they recycle nutrients by breaking down the bodies and wastes of other organisms. Without decay, the energy-rich compounds that organisms accumulate during their lifetime would be lost forever.

Fungi as Parasites  Parasitic fungi cause serious plant and animal diseases: wheat rust mildew on fruit athlete’s foot

Symbiotic Fungi  Lichens A symbiotic associations between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism. Lichen can grow on dry, bare rock and are often the first organisms to inhabit an area (pioneer species). The lichen break down the bare rock, allowing other plants to grow.  Mycorrhizae A symbiotic associations of plant roots and fungi. Fungi increases the surface area of the plants roots. Its presence is often necessary for the growth of many plants.

Symbiotic Fungi lichen mycorrhizae

Structure of Lichen  Symbiotic relationship between a fungi and a photosynthetic algae

Reflection/Rationale For my MS Office PowerPoint® assignment, I chose to create a slideshow using Microsoft PowerPoint®. A slideshow is an extremely useful tool to use when preparing class notes. The slideshow can be used in many ways. I like to allow the students to view my slideshow as I am explaining material. Slideshows provide a way for science teachers to relay information to students in a timely, organized manner. Students can participate in class discussions, take notes, or be given a copy of the actual PowerPoint for their notebook. PowerPoint® is an excellent tool to use for creating this type of notes for many reasons. I personally like to post my slideshows on my web page so that my students and their parents can access the notes as needed throughout the semester. In my classroom, slideshows are used during those times that I need to “lecture” on information important to our curricula. Using the slide transition/text transition feature in my slideshow allows me to give notes at a pace in which all of may students can easily follow. Creating slideshows, as opposed to “whiteboard” notes also allows me to use class time efficiently and provides me with a way to allow certain students (ESOL, etc) to access a copy of the notes. Other tools I found to be useful while creating this particular slideshow include text graphics (for visual appearance), tabs and spacing (for visual appearance), tables (to make certain sections easier to read), bullets & numbering (for extra emphasis on certain sections), text color (emphasis), font size (emphasis), and the insertion of graphics/clip art (for visual appearance). By using these applications, the slideshow becomes easy for the reader to navigate and understand, while keeping my students engaged and interested in the material. The animation/text transition allows me to pose a question to the class, allow students time to formulate their opinions, and then reveal to the class the correct answer. I feel as though I am fairly proficient in using Microsoft PowerPoint® software. I had no problems creating this assignment, nor any other document using this program. I am working on becoming an “expert” user of this software. In the future, I would like to continue to learn the shortcuts that make working with this software easier and more efficient. My computer at home uses PowerPoint 2003, so I am excited to be in a class where I am learning to use PowerPoint I find it to be even MORE user friendly than the 2003 version, which excited me very much!