Fungi-Kingdom Flashcards
Fungal Characteristics:
Eukaryotic Multicellular Kingdom
Feed by Absorptive Nutrition
Tubular cell shape, called Hyphae
Septate or aseptate hyphae
Chitin cell walls
Store sugar alcohols
Phyla determined by sexual reproduction
Reproduce by making spores
Sexual & Asexual
hyphae types
Septate have incomplete cell wall divisions
with pores
Aseptate fungi are Coenocytic
multinucleate with free flowing cytoplasm
Chytridiomycota- Phylum
o Swimming zoospores
o Has multicellular diploid stage
o Aseptate hyphae
Mucoromycota - Phylum
Never get very large, mostly superficial hyphae with conidia. Many grow as molds.
Aseptate
Glomeromycetes (in Mucoromycota)
o Endotrophic - penetrates inside cortex and plant cells
o Arbuscles (“shrubs” in Latin): branching haustoria inside root cortex cell
o Vesicles: large dark staining swellings in between cortical cells.
Know Allomyces life-cycle and be able to identify:
diploid, sporophyte phase (only one type of sporangia)
haploid gametophyte phase (two sporangia, in pairs
Know Rhizopus life cycle and be able to identify stages:
Asexual: aseptate hyphae, make asexual sporangia
(endogenous mitospores) or conidia (exogenous mitospores)
Sexual: (n+n) to (2n) to (n) all take place in in Zygosporangia.
Sporangia (with mitospores) and ploidy levels
Trillions of spores released from a single fruiting body-
from a sporangia. Haploid
suspensors and ploidy levels
suspensor is a structure associated with the formation of the zygosporangium
zygosporangia and ploidy levels
Dikaryotic (n + n)
gametangia and ploidy levels
Haploid
Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (VAM).
symbiotic association between certain fungi and the roots of most land plants.
Zygospores
These spores are produced through the sexual reproduction of fungi, particularly in zygomycetes. They result from the fusion of specialized sexual structures called gametangia.
Sporangiospores
These are asexual spores produced within a sporangium, a specialized sac-like structure found in fungi like bread molds (e.g., Rhizopus).
Conidia
Conidia are asexual spores produced at the tips of specialized hyphae called conidiophores. They are commonly found in many filamentous fungi, including Aspergillus and Penicillium.
Basidiospores
These are sexual spores produced in the basidia of basidiomycete fungi, which include mushrooms, toadstools, and bracket fungi.
Ascospores
Ascospores are sexual spores produced in the ascus, a specialized sac-like structure found in ascomycete fungi, including yeasts, truffles, and morels.
endogenous vs. exogenous
Endogenous refers to factors, structures, or processes that originate from within the fungal organism itself. For example, endogenous characteristics of fungi can include genetic traits, metabolic pathways, spore formation, and internal cellular processes.
Exogenous refers to factors, substances, or influences that come from outside the fungal organism and affect its growth or behavior. Exogenous factors for fungi can include environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, pH, nutrient availab
Mitospores vs. Meiospores
Mitospores (Asexual Spores):
are produced through the process of mitosis.
They are genetically identical to the parent fungus and do not result from the recombination of genetic material (as in sexual reproduction).
Mitospores are typically involved in the rapid multiplication and dispersal of fungal organisms.
Examples of mitospores include conidia in ascomycetes, sporangiospores in zygomycetes, and conidiospores in various fungal species.
Meiospores (sexual spores)
are produced through the process of meiosis.
They are the result of the recombination of genetic material from two different parent fungi during sexual reproduction.
Meiospores are typically involved in the formation of new fungal individuals that have genetic diversity, which can be advantageous for adaptation to changing environments.
Examples of meiospores include ascospores in ascomycetes and basidiospores in basidiomycetes.
