L5: General Mycology Flashcards
What is the morphology of fungi?
There are three main groups of fungi based on cell morphology:
- Yeast and Yeast-like
- filamentous (hyphae)
- dimorphic fungi
What is the definition of Yeast and yeast-like fungi?
- Yeasts are round to oval unicellular fungi which reproduce by budding or fission, a progenitor then detached from the mother cell, e.g. (Cryptococcus neoformans).
- Yeast-like is round to oval multi-cellular fungi reproduce by budding but a progenitor remains attached to the mother cell giving a chain of elongated yeast cells called pseudohyphae. e.g. (Candida).
What is the definition of filamentous fungi?
- Filamentous fungi (hyphae) are tubular, branching structures that may or may not be separated by porous cross-walls (septa) forming septated or aseptated hyphae.
- The part of the hyphae that anchor the colony, absorbs nutrients is termed vegetative hyphae.
- The part that projects above & carries the reproductive structure called aerial hyphae.
What is the definition of dimorphic fungi?
Dimorphic fungi exist either as yeast or as filaments depending on the condition of growth.
What are examples of dimorphic fungi?
Coccidioides immitis
Histoplasma capsulatum
paracoccidioides brasiliensis
lastomisis demesis
How do fungi reproduce?
Fungi reproduce by the formation of spores either asexual or sexual
What are the types of asexual spores?
There are two general types of asexual spores:
a. Sporangiospore
b. Conidiospore
What are sporangiospores? And where does it happen?
Some fungi during growth form sac filled with spores.
They are mitotic spores produced within a sac termed sporangium often supported by one hyphae termed sporangiophore and this type of spores exists on non-septated fungi.
What are the types of conidiospores?
- Arthroconidia (Arthrospores): conidia that result from fragmentation of hyphae cell.
- Blastoconidia (Blastospores): conidial formation through a budding process.
- Phialoconidia: conidia that are produced by a (vase-shaped) conidiogenous cell termed a phialide. These spores formed at the terminal part of fertile hyphae.
- Chlamydoconidia (Chlamydospores): large thick-walled resting spores developed from hyphae for existence during long periods of dormancy.
How are sexual spores formed?
During sexual reproduction, haploid cells of compatible strains mate through a process of plasmogamy, karyogamy, and meiosis to form transient diploid——> meiosis of this transient diploid to form sexual spores
What are the types of sexual spores?
- Ascospores
- Basidiospores
- Zygospores
- Oospores
What is the definition of ascospores?
four to eight meiospores form within a sac-shaped structure termed ascus.
What is the definition of basidiospores?
four meiospores usually form on the surface of a specialized club-shaped structure termed basidium.
What are zygospores?
a large thick-walled zygospore develops between two different hyphae.
What are oospores?
a large thick-walled zygospore develops within the same hyphae.