1. Kingdom Fungi

2. Characteristics of Fungi
Can be found in various places: Air, water, basements, gardens, foods, toes
Can be unicellular or multicellular
Unicellular: Yeasts
Multicellular are made up of hyphae- thread-like filaments
Have a cell wall composed of chitin (also found in the exoskeleton of some insects)

3. Characteristics of Fungi
All Fungi are heterotrophic: specifically decomposers
What does it mean to be a decomposer?

5. Uses of Fungi Several food uses for Fungi:
Mushrooms (morels, truffles)
Bread (yeast makes the bread rise)
Alcohol (beer, wine)

6. Uses of Fungi Fungi also used in Medicines
First antibiotic was derived from fungus: Penicillin
Discovered by Fleming in 1928

7. Mutualism with Fungi
Mutualism: a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit
Two types of fungal mutualism
Mycorrhizae: fungus and plant roots- nutrient and water for the plant, sugar for the fungus
Lichens: fungus and photosynthetic green algae; algae provides food, fungus provides water and nutrients

8. Fungi and Disease
Athletes foot
Ringworm

9. Reproduction in Fungi Can reproduce asexually: Can reproduce sexually:
Budding: (yeasts) new individual pinches from the parent fungus
Fragmentation: pieces of hyphae break off and grow into new fungus
Can reproduce sexually:
Spores produced by meiosis (division of sex cells)
Two fungi of the same species fuse together and create the spores

11. 4 types of Fungi Zygomycotes- ex: bread mold Ascomycotes- ex: morels
Basidiomycotes- ex: mushrooms
Deuteromycotes- ex: Penicillium

12. Zygomycotes Decomposers
Have hyphae called stolons that grow horizontally
Other hyphae called rhizoids anchor the mycelium of the fungi to a surface
Rhizoids secrete enzymes needed for extracellular digestion
Unfavorable environmental conditions will trigger the fungus to reproduce sexually by producing zygospores

13. Ascomycotes Largest division of fungi
Also known as sac fungi because of the sac-like structures called asci (singular, ascus) in which their spores develop
During asexual reproduction they produce a different form of spore in a structure called a conidiophore.
The asexual spores are known as conidia
Ex: blue, green, red and brown molds
Some cause diseases like rot and scab in plants
Some are edible like truffles and morels
Yeasts are included in the sac fungi- these are important in making products like bread, wine, beer and are also used in genetic engineering because they reproduce so rapidly

14. Basidiomycotes
Include mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, bird’s nest fungi, rusts, smuts and bracket fungi
Have club shaped hyphae called basidia that produce spores called basidiospores

15. Deuteromycotes Known as the “imperfect fungi”
No known sexual stage in their life cycle
Only reproduce asexually
Ex: Penicillium- used to make the antibiotic penicillin
Other imperfect fungi include the ones used to make foods such as soy-sauce, blue cheese and to produce citric acid