Fungi

Question 1

What are Fungi?

Answer 1

• Eukaryotic, have nuclei
• Heterotrophic and absorbent
• Amoeboid, to unicellular (yeast) to usually filamentous
• Generally don’t move much
• Cell walls contain chitin
• Most reproduce by spores

Question 2

What are fungi more closely related to, plants or animals?

Answer 2

• Animals

Question 3

Zygomycota

Answer 3

• Decomposers, occasional parasites, form zygospores (resistant spherical spores)

Question 4

Microsporidia

Answer 4

• Unicellular parasites of animals

Question 5

Chytridiomycota

Answer 5

• Generally decomposers, occasionally parasites that form zoospores (infect amphibians, deadly)

Question 6

Basidiomycetes

Answer 6

• Most commonly seen

- Form ‘club’ reproductive structures above ground

Question 7

Ascomycetes

Answer 7

• Cup fungus
• Morels
• In blue cheese
• Fruiting body not seen as often as basidiomycetes

Question 8

How many species of fungi worldwide?

Answer 8

• more than 1.5 million

- Greater than 70,000 described by mycologists

Question 9

How many mushroom species?

Answer 9

• 10,000
• 400 probably poisonous, 20 common, less than 6 commonly lethal
• 2000 probably edible, 100 widely picked w/ 15-30 commonly eaten, 80 grown experimentally w/ 40 commercially cultivated and 5-6 produced on large scale

Question 10

What kinds of fungi are there, what purpose

Answer 10

• Parasites
• Saprobes
• Predators
• Symbionts

Question 11

Examples of fungi parasites

Answer 11

• Cordyceps
• fir-blueberry rust
• powdery mildews
• ringworm
• Orange peel fungus
• Turkey tail
• Mycenas
• Spirit gummy bear
• Shelf fungus (red belt conk)

Question 12

Cordyceps

Answer 12

• Fungi parasite
• Grow in insects, keep host alive and take over brain, then force host to climb high, kill host, fruit through host head, disperse from height
• Zombie ants

Question 13

Predator fungus, some carnivorous

Answer 13

• Oyster mushrooms, paralytic droplets (ostreatin) produced by hyphae
• Witches butter
• Arthrobotrys, traps nematodes
• Zoophagus, adhesive pegs trap rotifers

Question 14

Endophytic fungi and cancer

Answer 14

• every plant studied has these
• 242 isolated from surface-sterilised yew tree twig segments
• 2 produced taxol
• taxol is medicinal, used to treat cancer, does not come from plant, but the endophytic fungus on plant

Question 15

Lichen

Answer 15

• Partnership of fungus and alga, and sometimes yeast
• Many types and sizes
• High diversity in BC, more than plants

Question 16

Lung lichen

Answer 16

• all 3 kingdoms
• Fungus, bacteria, alga
• Fixes nitrogen (cyanobacteria), alga provides food

Question 17

Ericoid mycorrhizae and salal

Answer 17

• Fixes nitrogen
• Gives advantage to plants
• Therefore, it may not be environment, climate, or water that makes salad successful here, but the fungus it lives with

Question 18

Mycorrhizae

Answer 18

• Fungus ‘roots)

Question 19

Indian Pipe

Answer 19

• Monotropa uniflora
• Mycoheterotrphic
• Fungal associate: Russulaceae, often short-stemmed Russell

Question 20

Candystick

Answer 20

• Allotropa virgata
• Mycoheterotrophic
• Fungal associate: Pine mushroom, Tricholma magniverlare

Question 21

Mycoheterotrophy

Answer 21

• Symbiotic relationship btwn certain plants and fungi
• Plant gets all or part of food from parasitism upon fungi rather than from photosynthesis
• Mycoheterotroph is the parasitic plant partner in the relationship

Question 22

Why does a fungus participate in Mycoheterotrophy?

Answer 22

• Parasitic, wants its partners to survive and do well

- May also transfer hormones, or sugars from sunny trees to shaded trees

Question 23

Mycoheterotrophic plants are generally?

Answer 23

• Lack chlorophyll
• Have small ‘dust’ seeds w/ undifferentiated embryos
• Have leaves that are scale-like or absent
• Reduced vascularization of the stem
• Lack stomata
• Reduced roots that lack root hairs
• Elevated 13C and 15N values compared to green plants

Question 24

Mixotrophic plants are generally?

Answer 24

• Green
• Have 13C and 15N values btwn that of mycoheterotrophs and full autotrophs (regular green plants), indicates that they get some C and N from other plants through fungal partner
• Related to mycoheterotrophs

Question 25

Orchids

Answer 25

• Most require mycoheterotrophic arrangement w/ saprophytic or parasite species of basidiomycetes for germination of ‘dust’ seeds
• more than 100 fully mycoheterotrophic and some mixotrophs
• Transmit amounts of carbon back to fungus

Question 26

Coralroots

Answer 26

• 4 species in BC
• All mycoheterotrophic
• Fungal associates usually have more than one species per species of plant

Question 27

Phantom Orchid

Answer 27

• Fully mycoheterotrophic

- 14 Species of fungal associates

Question 28

Broad-leaved helleborine

Answer 28

• Usually mixotrophic

- Fungal associates may be tuber oregonense

Question 29

Princes-Pines

Answer 29

• Found locally
• Mixotrophic
• Fungal associates: variety of ectomycorrhizal including tricholomas

Question 30

Wintergreens

Answer 30

• 6 in our area

- Fungal associates: variety of ectomycorrhizal species including tricholomas

Question 31

Gnome plant

Answer 31

• Mychoheterotrophic

- Fungal associate: Hydnellum peckii (strawberries and cream/bleeding tooth fungus) and H. aurantiacum

Question 32

Pinesap

Answer 32

• Hypopitys monotropa
• Mycoheterotrophic
• Fungal associates: Tricholoma species (man-on-horseback)

Question 33

Pterospora andromedea

Answer 33

• Mycoheterotrophic plant

- Fungal associate: Rhizopogaon spp.