Fungi:Muchroom&MoreLEC27 Flashcards
what is the longest-lived organisms on earth?
a fungi that may be 10,000 years old that covers 30 acres of land
who study fungi? How many are described & are not?
- mycologist
- 100,000 species
- 5 million
why are fungi essential for terrestrial ecosystems?
they are decomposers
how are fungi similar to us?
they are eukaryotic multicellular organisms & heterotrophs
fungi cell walls are made of what?
chitin, like roaches
fungi are compose of what? what does this mean?
•haploid hyphae
•fungi spends most of their time haploid
*their diploid phase is short
what are hyphae? what do they do?
- network of threads that connects from end to end
* they absorb nutrients & make up the fungi’s body which is called mycelium
how thick are hyhae & how do they grow?
•1 cell thick, a thousand of them together is still smaller than a hair
•they grow by simple cell division
*have cell wall & nuclei
what is a haustoria?
specialized hyphae adapted for penetrating tissues of prey
what fungus are dangerous for ants?
antler fungus
what is mycorrhizae?
beneficial symbiotic relationships between plants & fungi that live inside their roots
*those fungus help the plant get water & nutrients
how do fungi propagate themselves?
by producing vast numbers of spores sexually or asexually
what part of the mushroom produce spores?
the basidia which does meiosis
*spores are haploid
what fungi are unicellular? where do they live? how do they reproduce?
•yeasts
•moist environments
•simple asexual cell division
*we use them for wine
many fungi grows as what on what?
- mold
* on bread, fruits, foods, & everything in houses
fungi and animals both descended from what? when did they evolved?
•a single-celled, flagellated, aquatic protist
•they probably evolved before multicellular
organisms colonized land
how old is the oldest fossil fungi?
460 million years old
what were among the earliest colonizers of
land?
fungi, probably as symbionts with early land plants
what does symbionts means?
living together
how are phylum chytridiomycota, or chytrids of fungi unique?
•they are unique In having flagellated spores,
called zoospores
•Can be decomposers or parasites
At least 70 species of frogs have gone extinct in the last decade. What is the cause?
Chytrid fungus and global warming may be to blame
*Rare ‘mountain chicken’ frogs airlifted from path of deadly fungus, April 2009 from island of Montserrat
what are phylum zygomycota of fungi? what are they named after?
- molds and parasites
- zygosporangia
- can survive freezing & drying
- start dividing when conditions are good
what are examples of zygomycota?
- pilobolus
- microsporidia
what is special about pilobolus?
they can actually “aim” their sporangia toward conditions associated with good food sources and blast them off
*from 0-45mph in one mm of flight - the fastest acceleration in nature.
what are microsporidia?
unicellular parasites used to control insect pests
what are phylum ascomycota of fungi? how many species are there?
- sac fungi such as orange peel fungus, morels, truffles, and bread mold
- 32,000 species
- vary in size from unicellular yeasts to cup fungi and morels
how do ascomycota produce spores?
-produce spores in sacs contained in fruiting bodies called ascocarps
what are phylum basidiomycota of fungi? how many species are there?
ex. chicken of the woods
- amanita muscaria, bridal veil fungus, Shelf fungi, & puffballs
- 30,000 species
how are basidiomycota defined?
by a fruiting body called a basidiocarp
*only a transient stage in the life cycle
the life cycle of the basidiomycota usually includes what?
a long-lived mycelium, which can erect its spore-producing mushrooms in just a few hours
some fungi share their digestive services with animals like cows to what? what is this an example of?
- help break down plant material in the guts of grazing mammals
- fungus-animal symbiosis
what is another example of fungus-animal symbiosis?
some species of ants take advantage of fungi by raising them in “farms”
what are lichens?
13,000 species of pioneers that are a symbiotic association of algae living inside a fungus
- algae live below the lichen surface
- grows on trees & lava in hawaii
what are examples of lichens?
- fruticose (shrub-like)
- foliose (leaf-like)
- Crustose (crust-like)
what are very important lichens in tundra ecosystems that feed reindeers?
reindeer moss
30% of known fungal pathogens are
parasites in what?
plants
what are vital medicines are produced by fungi to treat bacterial infections?
- Statins control your cholesterol to protect you from heart disease
- Cyclosporin stops rejection in transplant patients
- penicillin - the wonder drug of the 1940s
