Fungi Flashcards
Fungi cell walls
Made of chitin
Hyphae
Tubular cells that secrete enzymes to break down organic molecules
Mycelium
Network of hyphae: infiltrate food source, maximum surface area
Plasmogamy
Fusion of cytoplasm; step in sexual reproduction
Karyogamy
Fusion of two nuclei; step in sexual reproduction
Budding
Cell division (asexual reproduction)
Chytridiomycota (chitrid)
Decomposers/parasites: amphibian decline, break down cellulose in guts of grazing animals
Zygomycota
Bread and fruit molds
Glomermycota (glomeromycetes)
Mycorrhizae (symbiotic with roots: plants have more surface area for absorption)
Ascomycota (sac fungi)
Produce spores in sac (truffles, plant pathogens, yeasts, athlete’s foot, ergot, lichens)
Basidiomycota (club fungi)
Mushrooms, puffballs, shelf fungi, decomposers of wood
Lichens
Contain green algae or cyanobacteria; photosynthetic and nitrogen fixing
Ecological roles of fungi
Decomposer: nutrient cycling
Symbiotic: parasite, mutualist