Block 1

Question 1

What are fungi?

Answer 1

Fungi are the Main Kingdom of Life. Separate from Animalia. Approx. 1.5 billion years ago they were discovered and lastly they are decomposers.

Question 2

What are decomposers?

Answer 2

Decomposers feed off dead or decaying matter

Question 3

What are the types of fungal reproduction?

Answer 3

The type of fungal reproduction are sexual, asexual or both. Think of asexual as cloning (budding or fission/mitosis) and think of sexual as meiosis (two mating types opposite produce offspring)

Question 4

What is mycology?

Answer 4

Mycology is the scientific discipline of fungal infections (study of fungi)

Question 5

The frequently asked questions about fungi (FAQ)

Answer 5

Random facts; first organism to be discovered on land, found approx. 1.3 billion years ago. “hat throwing fungus” and some fungal spores were found in a factory plant in Chernobyl and plays a role in the environment (soil)

Question 6

What are the pros and cons to fungi?

Answer 6

Pros; food (beer and bread) and drugs (antifungals). Cons; food spoilage, crop damage (money loss from the damage of the crops and “sick building syndrome”

Question 7

Types of infection?

Answer 7

superficial and systemic infections. superficial is external such as the skin, hair and nails. systemic infections are internal such as organs and even tissues in the body. high mortality rate for systemic infections, while superficial infections are treated quickly due to easier access to treat.

Question 8

Difference between primary and opportunistic infection?

Answer 8

primary infection infects healthy individuals while opportunistic infections infect immune compromised individuals. think of it as an opportunity to infect an “already ill patient”.

Question 9

What are nosocomial infections?

Answer 9

Nosocomial infections are inquired by a hospital administration.

Question 10

What consists of the “perfect storm”?

Answer 10

The patient is extremely ill, diagnosis is impossible to come to a conclusion, vaccines are unlimited and the resistance to antifungals are fairly high

Question 11

Classifications of fungi

Answer 11

zygomycota, ascomycota, basidiomycota and deuteromycota

Question 12

Sexual vs asexual reproduction

Answer 12

sexual; genetic variation, opposite mating and adverse environmental conditions
asexual; mitosis, cloning, decrease genetic variation

Question 13

Plasmogamy

Answer 13

Haploid (n) enters the two forms of mycelia and fuse into heterokaryotic stage

Question 14

Karyogamy

Answer 14

fusion of the nuclei into a zygote (2n, diploid)

Question 15

Germination

Answer 15

multicellular formation of mycelia