1. KINGDOM FUNGI: Yeasts and warm Fuzzies

2. Eukaryotic
Most terrestrial
Cell wall composed of chitin (differs from plants)
Most multicellular

3. Five Phyla in total but three major :
Zygomycetes: moulds
2. Basidomycetes: mushrooms
3. Ascomycetes: yeasts

4. General Structure
Bodies composed of mesh-like network of filaments called mycelium
Filaments are known as hyphae (pl) or hypa (s)
Can have multiple nuclei per “cell”
Separated into cell-like
compartments by septa

6. Nutrition heterotrophic (saprobes)
digest organic matter by excreting enzymes into the environment
and then absorb the simple products
store carbohydrates as glycogen
acidic conditions (pH 5 and 6)
some are parasitic

7. Reproduction - Asexual
hypha undergoes fragmentation, separates and develops new hypha and mycelium
spores form along the hypha, break free and germinate

8. Yeast reproduce by budding

9. Sexual Hypha fuse to form a cell with two nuclei (dikaryotic)
Each nuclei is haploid (n)
two cells fuse  diploid cell (2n) then undergoes meiosis haploid spores, which then germinate

11. Symbiotic Relationships
Mycorrhizae  fungi and plant roots:
Plant – provide sugars
Fungi – increase absorption of
nutrients to plant

12. Lichen
 green algae or cyanobacteria (provide sugars) and fungi (provide structural support, CO2 and H2O)
 soil, rocks, trees
 plant succession; establish on rocks and
barren areas, help make basic soil
material
 air quality monitors – indicate
pollutants

13. Importance Decomposers of organic matter
Liberate nutrients and making available to insects, worms, bacteria

14. penicillium species  antibiotics
“contamination helpful”
 blue cheese
penicillium species  antibiotics