Intro to fungi Flashcards
What is the importance of fungi ?
- antibiotic production
- cell factories for producing gene products
- decomposition
What are the 3 categories of fungal diseases ?
- Superficial mycoses
- Subcutaneous mycoses
- Systemic mycoses
Describe Superficial Mycoses
- Infections are confined to outer layers of epithelia (skin/hair/nails)
- example = ringworm
Describe Subcutaneous Mycoses
Involves deeper layers of the skin and different groups of organisms
Describe Systemic Mycoses
Infecting fungi penetrate the epithelia into the bloodstream & spread throughout the body
What are the 4 categories of fungi & what organic matter do they require ?
- saprotrophic = dead
- Neurotrophic = living
- Biotrophic = living
- symbiotic = living
How many different types of fungi have been estimated?
1.5 million different species
What are some examples of fungal diversity ?
- moulds
- mushrooms
- yeasts
Describe Mycorrhizas as an example of symbiotic associations
- associated with roots or trees
- fungal sheath is the nutrient absorbing surface for the root
- fungus increases uptake of N,P & K in poor soils and in return gains sugars from the tree
What are key characteristics of fungi ?
- heterotrophic for carbon
- eukaryotic structure
- cell wall present
- spores produced in reproduction
- mainly non-motile & filamentous
What are filaments called in fungi ?
hypha
(plural = hyphae )
What is a network of branched hyphae called ?
mycelium
Describe Septation
- majority of fungus, hyphae grow apically and become divided at intervals by transverse walls or septa into compartments
What are the 2 main divisions of fungi ?
- Regularly septate = higher fungi
- aseptate = lower fungi
