Fungi

Question 1

are fungi multi or unicellular?

Answer 1

-all fungi are multicellular, except for the unicellular yeast fungi

Question 2

how do fungi get nutrition?

Answer 2

-by secreting enzymes to break products down into organic molecules, then by absorbing them across the cell wall

-fungi can be saprohytes, parasites, or mutualistic

Question 3

what are hyphae and mycelium?

Answer 3

-hyphae = fungal filaments / cell walls made of chitin
-mycelium = long networks of hyphae

Question 4

what are the two types of hyphae structure?

Answer 4

1. septate = hyphae is divided into cells by septa / walls
2. aseptate = hyphae is one long continuous, multinucleated cell

Question 5

what are the 3 kinds of specialized hyphae?

Answer 5

1. haustoria = hyphae that can penetrate cell walls of a host organism to extract nutrient
   -haustoria can also form hoops that close in on small worms to kill them
2. ectomycorrhizal = sheaths of hyphae over a root and in between cellular spaces
3. endomycorrhizal = hyphae that branch through cell wall and into tubes from plasma membrane

Question 6

what type of sexual reproduction do fungi use?

Answer 6

-fungi can reproduce sexually or asexually

Question 7

-how do fungi reproduce sexually?

Answer 7

-myceliums undergo plasmogamy, bringing cells to a heterokaryotic stage
-nuclei then fuse together, called karyogamy
-this creates a zygote which undergoes meiosis to release spores, which germimate and become a new fungi

Question 8

how do fungi reproduce asexually?

Answer 8

-mycelium creates spore producing structures, that produce spores
-spores are released and can germinate, becoming a new fungi

Question 9

what are the 5 main phyla of fungi?

Answer 9

1. phylum chytridomycota
2. phylum zygomycota
3. phylum glomeromycota
4. phylum ascomycota
5. phylum basidiomycota

Question 10

what are the traits of phylum chytridomycota?

Answer 10

-has flagellated spores
-attacks frogs by clogging their skin so they cannot breathe

Question 11

what are the traits of phylum zygomycota?

Answer 11

-zygote fungi, causes food to rot
-aseptate hyphae, reproduces sexually
-can “aim” sporangia towards light

Question 12

what are the traits of phylum glomeromycota?

Answer 12

-this fungi has mycorrhizae, which have a mutualistic relationship with 90% of plants:
-fungi delivers nutrients and phosphate to plant in exchange for carbs

Question 13

what are the traits of phylum ascomycota?

Answer 13

-sac fungi containing “ascus” = sexual spores in a sac
-has a fruiting body called an ascocarp
-includes yeasts, lichens, truffles, morels

Question 14

what are the traits of phylum basidiomycota?

Answer 14

-club fungi: includes mushrooms, shelf fungi
-has a clublike structure called a basidium , where reproduction occurs
-includes wood decomposers, and common mushrooms

Question 15

what are the biological roles of fungi?

Answer 15

-aid in digestion of plant material in mammals
-can create antibiotics, such as the penicillum fungi
-can create or be food products: cheese, truffles, alcohol, bread
-can cause disease: blight and ringworm disease

Question 16

what are lichens?

Answer 16

-a mass of photosynthetic organisms, cyanobacteria or green algae, held together in a mass of fungal hyphae
-fungal component is often an ascomycete
-serve as a food source and habitat for other organisms