fungi Flashcards
where do fungi grow
-fungi are the most common but least visible organisms on earth
-they grow out of sight: underground or within other organisms (dead or alive)
how do they get energy
- heterotrophs
- external digestion: secrete enzymes, breaks down into smaller components, absorbed later
how are fungi similar to and different from plants?
similar: both stationary eukaryotes and can be multicellular
different: don’t perform photosynthesis (do not have chloroplasts)
*more closely related to animals than to plants
why are fungi good
- major decomposers
- provide food/drink to humans
- used for drugs
how are fungi major decomposers
break down dead/decaying matter and return it to the soil for producers to use (symbiotic relationship*)
provide food/drinks to humans
- mushrooms & truffles
- used to make bread
- blue cheese
- soy sauce
- alcoholic beverages
how are fungi used for drugs
- antibiotic penicillin
- cyclosporine: drug used by organ transplant recipients
types of symbiotic relationships
- mutualism: mutual benefit
- parasitism: one benefits, other harmed
- commensalism: one benefits, other unaffected
how do fungi have a symbiotic relationship?
- mutualism
- hyphae grow around or within root cells of the plant
- fungi help supply plant with nutrients, while plant provides fungus with carbohydrates (food)
why are fungi bad?
- cause disease
- human diseases: ringworm, yeast infections, athletes foot
- cause physical damage to plants (rotting wood)
- many tree species almost extinct because of fungi
- produce toxins that cause hallucinations and paralysis
functions of fungi
- absorption of nutrients
- reproduction
structure of most fungi
- majority of a fungus in the form of a mycelium (branching structure) typically found underground
- reproductive structure (fruiting body) is the visible part of the fungus
function of fruiting body
reproduction
hyphae
- thin filaments that make up body
- structurally different from animal and plant cells
- long tubes of cytoplasm with many nuclei
- secrete digestive enzymes into surroundings and then absorb nutrients through cell membranes
cell wall made of
chitin
