Fungi Flashcards
What is the domain of the Kingdom Fungi?
EUKARYA
What are the general characteristics of fungi?
Fungi are eukaryotic, most are multicellular (yeast cells are unicellular), and they are heterotrophs that feed by releasing digestive enzymes into their surroundings and absorbing the digested nutrients.
What are the cell walls of fungi made of?
Chitin.
What essential services do fungi provide for ecosystems?
Decomposition, recycling of nutrients, and soil maintenance.
How do fungi reproduce?
Fungi can reproduce sexually and asexually but always produce spores.
What percentage of plants rely on symbiotic relationships with fungi?
80%.
What organisms are included in the Kingdom Fungi?
Yeasts, mushrooms, and molds.
What are lichens?
Lichens are composite organisms formed from a relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism, such as a unicellular green alga or a cyanobacterium.
What is an example of a lichen’s ecological role?
They can live in harsh environments and are important food sources for many animals.
What type of nutrition do parasitic fungi exhibit?
They absorb nutrients from the living cells of a host organism.
What is an example of a parasitic fungus?
Cordyceps invades an insect body, eventually killing it and producing new spores.
What is the role of mycorrhizal fungi?
They form partnerships with plants, increasing the absorptive surface of plant roots and allowing the plants to take up more nutrients.
What is the role of saprobic fungi?
They decompose dead organisms and organic matter, recycling nutrients in ecosystems.
What are the two methods of fungal reproduction?
Asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction.
What is a method of asexual reproduction used by unicellular yeasts?
Budding.
