Fungi Kingdom
Fungi are heterotrophic – the stalk and the cap of a mushroom are not green like the leaves of a plant; plants appear green because they contain chlorophyll; fungi do not contain chlorophyll; fungi obtain energy by absorbing organic molecules from their surroundings
Fungi Kingdom• Fungi have filamentous bodies – the long slender filaments
weave tightly together to form the fungus body and reproductive structures
• A giant fungus of the species Armillaria ostoyae in the Malheur National Forest in Oregon was found to span 8.9 km² (2,200 acres), which would make it the largest organism by area.
Fungi Kingdom
• Fungal cells contain chitin – cells of all fungi have walls made of chitin (the tough material found in the exoskeleton of insects and other arthropods)
Fungi Kingdom• Fungi have nuclear mitosis – in plants/animals
the nuclear envelope disintegrates during mitosis; in mushrooms the nuclear membrane remains intact and mitosis is complete when the nuclear membrane pinches in two
Fungi Structure• Hyphae – slender
filaments that make up fungi bodies
• Mycelium – tangled mass of hyphae
Fungi are Heterotrophic
• Fungi digest food outside their bodies
• Hyphae tips secrete powerful digestive enzymes that break down organic matter
Fungi are Decomposers• In their search of food, many fungi attack
nonliving organic matter and decompose these materials.
• Other fungi absorb nutrients from living hosts, which sometimes become weakened and succumb to infection or disease.
Fungi Reproduction
• Fungi reproduce by releasing spores.• Spores form in reproductive
structures (basidia) at the tips of hyphae.
• Reproductive structures (mushrooms) extend high above the food source so that air currents can carry the spores to a new habitat.
• When a spore lands in a suitable place, it begins to divide and soon gives rise to a new fungal hypha.
SPORES
• Spores are usually haploid and unicellular and are produced by meiosis in the sporophyte.
• a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions.
• A chief difference between spores and seeds as dispersal units is that spores have very little stored food resources compared with seeds.
• Once conditions are favorable, the spore can develop into a new organism using mitotic division, producing a multicellular gametophyte.
Phyla of Fungi
• Zygomycota: black bread molds• Ascomycota: morels, truffles, yeasts, cup
fungi• Basidiomycota: mushrooms, puffballs,
rusts, smuts• Deuteromycota (Fungi Imperfecti - sexual
reproduction has not been observed): Penicillium, athletes foot, ringworm, blue cheese mold
Fungal Associations• Lichen – symbiotic association
between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner in which the fungal partner protects the photosynthetic
•Mycorrhizae – symbiotic association in which a fungus transfers minerals to a plant’s roots, which in turn supply carbohydrates to the fungus
Fungi Quiz
• How do fungi obtain energy?
FUNGI ARE HETEROTROPHIC DECOMPOSERS.
THE HYPHAE TIPS SECRETE AN ENZYME THAT BREAK DOWN ORGANIC MATERIAL.
Fungi Quiz
• Describe the symbiotic association that occurs in lichen.
A fungus and a photosynthetic partner in which the fungal partner protects the photosynthetic partner
Fungi Quiz
• Describe the symbiotic association that occurs in mycorrhizae.
Fungus transfers minerals to a plant’s roots, which in turn supply carbohydrates to the fungus
Vocabulary – Due Monday
• Ascocarp• Ascus• Basidium• Chitin• Dikaryon• Dikaryotic• Ectomycorrhizae• Endomycorrihizae
• Endomycorrihizae• Hypha• Fungi imperfecti• Lichen• Mycelium• Septa• Yeast• Zygosporangia