Fungi Flashcards
Are fungi eukaryotic or prokaryotic?
Eukaryotic
What are the two groups of fungi?
Yeast (unicellular)
Mould (multicellular)
How do yeasts reproduce?
Asexually by a process called budding.
What is the cell wall of a yeast made of?
Chitin
What is the function of the vacuole in yeast cells?
They store nutrients and contain enzymes that can break down complex molecules such as proteins.
How does budding work?
The single celled yeast forms a bud. The nucleus divides and the bud receives a nucleus. The bud then breaks off forming a new yeast individual.
How do moulds receive nutrients?
Saprophytes- dead or decaying material.
What are the long thread like filaments of mould called?
Hyphae
What is a mass of hyphae called?
Mycelium
What are the 2 forms of hyphae?
- Vegetative hyphae
- Reproductive hyphae
What do vegetative hyphae form and what are the functions?
Mycelia. Anchor the fungus to its substrate and enables the fungus to obtain nutrients.
What is reproduced in the reproductive hyphae?
Reproductive spores
Hyphae tubes are separated by?
Septums.
What is the function of the septum?
Septum’s are distinct barriers that do not allow cellular contents to cross. Apart from the cytoplasm.
What is aseptae?
When hyphae do not form septa (septum) creating one long cell with many nuclei.
What is the number of nuclei in hyphae determined by?
The stage of the fungi life cycle.
Mature fungi have more hyphae and more nuclei, in comparison to those at the start of their cycle.
How are fungal cells produced?
Asexual spores
Sexual spores
What are the four types of asexual spore formation?
- Arthrospores- Existing hyphae fragments form cells which behave as spores.
- Chlamydospore - Cells or hyphae are surrounded by a thick wall and converted to spores. It survives unfavourable conditions.
- Sporangiospore - Spores develop inside a sac called sporangium which forms due to swelling of the hyphal tip. The form following the division of the cytoplasm.
- Blastospore - Produced from a vegetative mother cell at an expanding region of the hypha.
How do sexual spores form?
When hyphae of opposite mating types nuclei fuse together, forming a new nucleus.
Where are sexual spores contained?
The fruiting body.
Often exposed to an external environment, so that the spores can be released when ready.
