Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Biological Systems > Biodiversity (Fungi) > Flashcards

Biodiversity (Fungi) Flashcards

1
Q

How structure and function in fungi relate to their role in ecosystems

A
  • Fungi are diverse, widespread, and essential for the well-being of most ecosystems
  • Some are single celled but most are complex multicellular organisms
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What type of feeders are fungi

A

Heterotrophs - absurd nutrients from outside their bodies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What do fungi use to break down complex molecules into smaller organic compounds?

A

Hydrolytic enzymes - digest living or dead compounds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Decomposers

A

Break down and absorb nutrients from nonliving organic material

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Parasitic

A

Fungi absorb nutrients from living hosts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Mutualistic

A

Fungi absorb nutrients from hosts and reciprocate with actions that benefit the host

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Most common body structures

A
  • Multicellular filaments (most)
  • Single cells (yeasts) (few)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What type of environment do yeasts inhabit?

A

Moist, with plentiful soluble nutrients, such as sugars or amino acids

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Fungal bodies form networks of tiny filaments called

A

Hyphae

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What does the structure of a hyphae look like

A

Tubular cell walls strengthened with chitin, a structural polymer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What do chitin-rich walls prevent cells from?

A

Lysing due to osmotic pressure that builds up during nutrient absorption

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are septa

A
  • Hyphae are divided into cells by them or cross-walls
  • Septa have pores large enough to enable cell-to-cell movement of organelles
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Coenocytic fungi

A

Lack septa, they have hundreds or thousands of nuclei in a continuous cytoplasmic mass

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Mycelium

A

An interwoven mass formed by fungal hyphae that infiltrates the food source

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What does the structure of a mycelium maximize

A

Surface-to-volume ratio, making absorption very efficient

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

How do hyphae grow

A

In length, not girth, using cytoplasmic streaming to move materials to the tips

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Considering fungi are not motile, how do they colonize new territory?

A

Through the growth of their hyphae

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Specialized hyphae in mycorrhizal fungi

A
  • Some fungi have them for feeding on live animals
  • Others have specialized hyphae called haustoria that allow them to extract nutrients from plants
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What do mutualistic fungi have?

A

Specialized branching hyphae used to exchange nutrients with their plant hosts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Mutually beneficial relationships between fungi and plant roots are called

A

Mycorrhizae

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What do mycorrhizal fungi deliver to plants?

A

Phosphate ions and minerals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What do the plants supply to the fungi in exchange?

A

Organic nutrients

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

How do fungi propagate themselves?

A

by producing vast numbers of spores, either sexually or asexually

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

How are spores transported

A

They are carried long distances by wind or water, if they land in a moist place with food, they will germinate and form new mycelia

25
How and what type of spores do molds produce
Haploid spores asexually by mitosis, and form visible, "furry" mycelia
26
How do single-celled yeasts reproduce
- Asexually without producing spores - Reproduction occurs through simple cell division or pinching of small “bud cells” off a parent cell
27
What was the ancestor of fungi
An aquatic, single-celled, flagellated protist
28
What two groups are more closely related to each other than either group is to plants or most other eukaryotes
Fungi and animals
29
What does the opisthokonts clade include
fungi, animals, and their protistan relatives
30
What did opisthokonts evolve from
a unicellular flagellated ancestor
31
What likely evolved independently in fungi and animals
Multicellularity
32
What does molecular clock analysis indicate?
- that animals and fungi diverged more than a billion years ago -sym genes required for mycorrhizal formation were present in early plants
33
What type of habitat did fungi likely originate in?
in aquatic habitats, but the oldest widely accepted fossils are of terrestrial species from 440 million years ago
34
What does fossil evidence support?
the formation of mutualistic relationships between fungi and early plants
35
How many known species of fungi are there?
There are 145,000 known species of fungi; estimates of the actual number lie between 2.2 and 3.8 million
36
Cryptomycetes
- 30 known species - Found globally in soils, and marine and freshwater habitats - Both aerobic and anaerobic species - Many are parasites of protists and other fungi - Unicellular and have flagellated spores - Can synthesize a chitin-rich cell wall (like fungi)
37
Microsporidians
- 1,300 known species - unicellular parasites of protists and animals, including humans - can synthesize a chitin-rich cell wall - have small genomes with as few as 2,000 genes - They produce spores that infect host cells via a harpoon-like organelle
38
Chytrids
- 1,000 known species - Found in lakes, soil, and marine habitats including hydrothermal vents - Include species that function as decomposers, parasites, and mutualists - Nearly all chytrids have flagellated spores, called zoospores - Like other fungi, the cell walls are made of chitin - Some are single-celled; others form colonies
39
Zoopagomycetes
- 900 known species - They live as parasites or commensal symbionts of animals, or as parasites of other fungi or protists - They form filamentous hyphae and reproduce asexually via nonflagellated spores - Some induce behavioral changes in the insects they parasitize - They have nonflagellated, wind dispersed spores - This change was likely associated with the transition from aquatic habitats to life on land
40
Mucoromycetes
- 750 known species - Molds in this group include important decomposers - Many others live as parasites, pathogens, or mutualists with plants (including some mycorrhizae) - In deteriorating conditions—for instance, most of the food is consumed—sexual reproduction may occur
41
Ascomycetes
- 90,000 known species - They live in a variety of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats - They vary in size and complexity from unicellular yeasts to elaborate cup fungi and morels - Ascomycetes include plant pathogens, decomposers, and symbionts - More than 25% of all ascomycete species form lichens, symbiotic associations with green algae or cyanobacteria - Some form mycorrhizae with plants; others live within plant leaves and produce compounds toxic to insects
42
Neurospora crassa
- a model research organism - Its entire genome was published in 2003 - Neurospora has about three- fourths as many genes as the fruit fly Drosophila and about half as many as a human
43
Basidiomycetes
- about 50,000 known species including mushrooms, puffballs, and shelf fungi - Some are mutualists that form mycorrhizae - Others destructive plant parasites: rusts and smuts - important decomposers of wood - Certain basidiomycetes are the best at decomposing lignin, a complex polymer abundant in wood - mycelium can reproduce sexually by producing fruiting bodies called basidiocarps - A mushroom results from a concentrated growth of hyphae that forms from the dikaryotic mycelium - Mushroom cap supports, protects a large surface area of basidia on gills - Sexually produced basidiospores are ejected and dispersed by wind
44
What do fungi play key roles in
nutrient cycling, ecological interactions, and human welfare
45
Decomposers
- Efficient decomposers of organic material including cellulose and lignin - Together, fungi and bacteria perform essential recycling of chemical elements between the living and nonliving world - Without these critical decomposers, life as we know it would cease
46
Mutualists
- Fungi form mutualistic relationships with plants, algae, cyanobacteria, and animals - Mutualistic fungi absorb nutrients from a host, but reciprocate with actions that benefit the host
47
Fungus-Plant Mutualisms
- All plant species harbor symbiotic endophytes, fungi (or bacteria) that live inside leaves or other plant parts without causing harm - Most endophytes are ascomycetes - Some make toxins to defend the host plant; others help the plant tolerate heat, drought, or heavy metals
48
Fungus-Animal Mutualisms
- Some fungi share digestive services with animals - Help break down plant material in the guts of cattle and other grazing mammals - Many species of ants use the digestive power of fungi by raising them in “farms”
49
Lichens
Symbiotic associations between photosynthetic microorganisms and fungi
50
Millions of photosynthetic cells are held in a mass of
fungal hyphae
51
Where do lichens grow
on the surfaces of rocks, rotting logs, trees, and roofs in various forms
52
The fungal partners are most often
ascomycetes
53
The photosynthetic partners are
unicellular or filamentous green algae or cyanobacteria
54
The fungus usually gives a lichen its
overall shape and structure, and forms most of its mass
55
Cells of the algae or cyanobacteria usually occupy
an inner layer below the surface
56
important pioneers on new rock and soil surfaces, such as
volcanic flows or burned forests
57
Fungi as Parasites in Plants
- About 30% of known fungal species are parasites or pathogens, mostly on or in plants - Each year, 10-50% of the world’s fruit harvest is lost annually due to fungi; grain crops also suffer major annual losses - Some fungal parasites of food crops produce toxin
58
Fungi as Parasites in Animals
- Animals are much less susceptible to parasitic fungi than are plants - Two chytrid species have been implicated in the decline or extinction of about 500 species of amphibians worldwide - They cause sever skin infections, leading to massive die-offs - The general term for fungal infection in animals is mycosis
59
Practical Uses of Fungi
- Humans eat many fungi and use others to make cheeses, alcoholic beverages, and bread - Some fungi have great medical value - Genetic research on fungi is leading to medical applications in biotechnology and is also targeting fungi for use in the production of biofuels

Biological Systems (13 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions