Kingdom: Fungi
Nutrition: Saprophitic fungi
- feeds on dead organisms or organic wastes
Important decomposers are: gem studded puffball
/when puffball mature- a whole in the top opens
to release spores in a burst when the body
is compressed by touch or falling raindrops/
Extracts of the puffballs have antimicrobial
and antifungal activity
Turkey tail- has a lot
of antioxidants, is good for immunity
Parasitic fungi
Prefer the living host
They do a lot of serious damage
e.g. Candida albicans- it causes vaginal and mouth infection
Athlete´s foot- is the fungal infection of the feet
Symbiotic fungi
Form beneficial partnership with other organisms such as trees
and flowering plants
LICHENS- is a symbiosis between fungi and green algae or
cyanobacteria
MYCCORHIZA- is a symbiosis between the mycelium of a
fungus and the root of certain plant, such as cnifers, beeches,
or orchids /endomycorrhiza- mycelium of the fungus is inside
the root/
2 types: ectomycorrhiza /fungal hyphae do not penetrate/and
endomyccorhiza
Reproduction:
ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION:
- Binary fission
- Budding- typical for yeasts / from
parent cell are developed offspring/
- Fragmentation- the hyphae are
broken and then the pieces will grow
into complete new organism
- Spores- small reproductive particles
that are produced by modified cell at
the end of the hyphae/ are haploid/
Reproduction:
SEXUAL REPRODUCTION:
Fungi reproduce sexually when
enviromntal conditions are unfavourable
There are no male and female fungi
The two mating types are called PLUS
mating type and MINUS mating type
Fertilization occurs when the hyphae from
a plus and minus fuse togethes to form a
2n or diploid zygote
Importance:
Fungi are decomposers and recyclers of nutrients
Some mushrooms are eaten as food
Importance for industry- yeasts are used to make
bread and beer, help form blue cheeses (niva,
gorgonzola, roquefort)
Harmful effect:
- Fungal spores cause allergies
- Some of them are poisonous / toxins produced by fungi can
cause vomiting, diarrhea, liver damage, cancer and even death/
Eg. Death Cap Mushroom
-moulds, mildew,
rusts and smuts
damage crops
Aspergillus is used to make soya souce
Production of antibiotics like
penicilin
- can cause yeast infection
Division: EUMYCOTA= TRUE FUNGI
 class: Zygomycetes= BREAD MOLDS
 The most primitive of the terrestrial fungi
 Microscopic fungi
 Most of the live on decaying plant or animal matter in the soil, but
some of them are animal parasites and cause mycosis+ allergies
or
 Agricultural plant parasites and may cause apple scab,
strawberry stem rot
 Contain hyphae without septa- aseptate
 Their spores are called zygospores
 BLACK BREAD MOULD-Rhizopus stolonifera- causes the black
 bread mould that form cottony masses on the surface of the
moist bread exposed to the air
 GREEN MOULD- Mucor mucedo- is usually on the top of
deacaying vegetable or fruit
2.class: Ascomycetes= SAC FUNGI
The largest group of fungi
Contain septate mycelium- septate hyphae
 reproduction is realised by production of specific sporangia called asci /may have different shape/ with ascospores
 asci could by freely placed in fruiting body or could be arranged in continuous layer called thecium
Order: Saccharomycetales= YEASTS
Are typical ascomycetes- unicellular
Reproduce asexually by binary fission pr budding
Economically important fungi- Baker´s yeast is used to make bread, responsible for alcoholic fermentation of beer and
wine
Some of them are used in lactic fermentation- production of yoghurt and kefir
Some representatives may cause mycosis- e.g. Candida albicans
Some species of Candida can use different components of crude oil to produce biomass rich on proteins and fatsproduction of fodder
Order:Eurotiales= Blue green molds
 Causes food spoilage, putrescence of fruit, vegetable, cerals, fodder- cannot be used because of mycotoxin
production
 Most of them are saprophytic
 Produces a lot of spores that may cause allergies
 Contain species that produces antibiotics like Penicilium notatum- penicilin / inhibits the growth of gram
positive bacteria, was discovered by sir Alexander Fleming in 1929/
 Certain species give some types of cheese the flavour /Niva, Hermelin,
Roquefort, Camembert/
Order: Claviciptales
Usually parasitic
Claviceps purpurea= Ergot- attacks wheat or rye and produces
highly poisonous and carcinogenic alkaloids, causing ergotism if
consumed, after attacking ovary of wheat it forms sclerotium which
produces toxins- are used in pharmaceutical industry
Ergot extract has been used in pharmaceutical preparations,
including ergot alkaloids in products such as Cafergot (containing
caffeine and ergotamine or ergoline) to treat migraine headaches, and
ergometrine, used to induce uterine contractions and to control
bleeding after childbirth.
Order: Pezizales
Saprophytic and parasitic fungi
Composed of stalk= stipe and fertile portion=pileus
Contain macroscopic fungi like Morel / could be mixed up
with poisonous Brain mushroom/ , Truffle- are highly
prized edible fungi
3.class: Basidiomycetes= CLUB FUNGI
 Includes the largest and most highly developed of the fungi
 Contains septate mycelium
 The name is derived according to the presence of basidia= club-shaped structures producing
spores=basidiospores at the tips of minute projections
 Basidium could be unicellular
species growing in Slovakia /their fruiting body is composed of cap and
stalk/ or tetra cellular- it is separated
 Basidia form hymenium = the pore-bearing layer of the fruiting body
 Life cycle of Basidiomycetes
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGdkBonhqKk
Order: Aphyllophorales=Polyporales=BRACKET FUNGI
 are characterized by their saprophytic activities as
decomposers, particularly in the degradation of
CELLULOSE and LIGNIN= LIGNIPERDOUS FUNGI
 e.g. Turkey tail
 Laetiporus sulphureus
Order: Agaricales= Gilled mushrooms
- Contains a lot of edible but also poisonous species
- Usually macroscopic, but some of them are microscopic- do not form fruiting body, are
parasitic e.g. Smuts= Ustinaginales
Rusts= Uredinales
- Fruiting body is distinguished into pileus= cap and stipe /stalk/
- Basidia are placed in the gills /Meadow mushroom/, pores /Birch bolete/ or teeth of the hymenium
 During fruiting body formation it is protected by covering= VEIL – in adult
it forms RING on the upper part of the stipe and VOLVA on the base of stipe
 For most of the representatives are typical of mycorrhiza
representatives: KING BOLLETE, YELLOW CHANTARELLE, BIRCH
BOLLETE, SATAN´S BOLLETE, BUTTER BOLLETE, SAFFRON MILK CAP,
MEADOW MUSHROOM, OYSTER MUSHROOM, PARASOL MUSHROOM,
DEATH CAP, FLY AGARIC, SLIPPERY JACK, GEM STUDDED PUFFBALL
Representatives:
KING BOLLETE
YELLOW CHANTARELLE
BIRCH BOLLETE
SATAN´S BOLLETE
BUTTER BOLLETE, SAFFRON MILK CAP, MEADOW MUSHROOM, OYSTER MUSHROOM, PARASOL MUSHROOM
DEATH CAP
FLY AGARIC
SLIPPERY JACK
GEM STUDDED PUFFBALL