chapter 24: fungi Flashcards
What are fungi more closely related to?
Animals
Fungi share a closer evolutionary relationship with animals than with plants.
What type of nutrition do fungi exhibit?
Heterotrophic
Fungi obtain nutrients by consuming organic material.
What is the primary component of fungal cell walls?
Chitin
Unlike plants, which have cell walls made of cellulose, fungi have chitin.
What do fungal pigments protect against?
UV radiation
Fungal pigments serve as a protective measure against ultraviolet light.
Are most fungi motile or nonmotile?
Nonmotile
The majority of fungi do not have the ability to move.
What is the difference between unicellular and multicellular fungi?
Unicellular fungi (e.g., yeasts) vs multicellular fungi
Most fungi are multicellular, but some exist as unicellular organisms like yeasts.
What is a saprotroph?
A type of heterotroph that obtains nutrients from dead or decaying material
Saprotrophic fungi play a crucial role in decomposition.
What do obligate aerobes require?
Oxygen
Obligate aerobes must have oxygen to survive.
Fill in the blank: Obligate anaerobes _______.
Cannot survive in oxygen
Examples include fungi found in cattle digestive systems.
What are facultative anaerobes capable of?
Switching between aerobic and anaerobic metabolism
Yeasts are a common example of facultative anaerobes.
What is the thallus in fungi?
The vegetative body of fungi
The thallus encompasses the main body structure of fungi.
What are yeasts?
Unicellular fungi
Examples include Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida species.
What are the two distinct morphological stages of multicellular fungi?
Vegetative stage and reproductive stage
The vegetative stage consists of hyphae, while the reproductive stage involves fruiting bodies.
What is a common method of asexual reproduction in fungi?
Budding
This method is particularly common in yeasts.
What is fragmentation in fungal reproduction?
Pieces of hyphae grow into new fungi
This is another method of asexual reproduction.
What triggers sexual reproduction in fungi?
Unfavorable conditions
Sexual reproduction is often a response to stress or adverse environments.
What are the two mating types in fungal sexual reproduction?
+ and -
These mating types are necessary for the fusion of cells.
What is plasmogamy?
Fusion of two different mating-type cells, but nuclei remain separate
This is the first step in sexual reproduction.
What occurs during karyogamy?
Fusion of nuclei to form a diploid zygote
Karyogamy follows plasmogamy in the sexual reproduction process.
What does meiosis produce in fungi?
Haploid spores
Meiosis is the final step in the sexual reproductive cycle.
What is alternation of generations in fungi?
A haploid phase alternates with a diploid phase
This concept describes the life cycle of fungi.
