FUNGI
22-1 Characteristics of Fungi
22-2 Fungal Diversity
22-3 Fungal Associations
Fungi Kingdom
Fungi are heterotrophic – the stalk and the cap
of a mushroom are not green like the leaves
of a plant; plants appear green because they
contain chlorophyll; fungi do not contain
chlorophyll; fungi obtain energy by
absorbing organic molecules from their
surroundings
Fungi Kingdom
• Fungi have filamentous bodies – the long slender filaments
weave tightly together to form the fungus body and
reproductive structures
• A giant fungus of the species Armillaria ostoyae in the
Malheur National Forest in Oregon was found to span
8.9 km² (2,200 acres), which would make it the largest
organism by area.
Fungi Kingdom
• Fungal cells contain
chitin – cells of all
fungi have walls
made of chitin (the
tough material
found in the
exoskeleton of
insects and other
arthropods)
Fungi Kingdom
• Fungi have nuclear mitosis – in plants/animals
the nuclear envelope disintegrates during
mitosis; in mushrooms the nuclear membrane
remains intact and mitosis is complete when the
nuclear membrane pinches in two
Fungi Structure
• Hyphae – slender
filaments that make
up fungi bodies
• Mycelium – tangled
mass of hyphae
Fungi are Heterotrophic
• Fungi digest food outside their bodies
• Hyphae tips secrete powerful digestive
enzymes that break down organic matter
Fungi are Decomposers
• In their search of food, many fungi attack
nonliving organic matter and decompose
these materials.
• Other fungi absorb nutrients from living
hosts, which sometimes become weakened
and succumb to infection or disease.
Fungi Reproduction
• Fungi reproduce by releasing spores.
• Spores form in reproductive
structures (basidia) at the tips of
hyphae.
• Reproductive structures
(mushrooms) extend high above the
food source so that air currents can
carry the spores to a new habitat.
• When a spore lands in a suitable
place, it begins to divide and soon
gives rise to a new fungal hypha.
SPORES
• Spores are usually haploid and unicellular and are
produced by meiosis in the sporophyte.
• a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for
dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in
unfavorable conditions.
• A chief difference between spores and seeds as
dispersal units is that spores have very little stored food
resources compared with seeds.
• Once conditions are favorable, the spore can develop
into a new organism using mitotic division, producing a
multicellular gametophyte.
Phyla of Fungi
• Zygomycota: black bread molds
• Ascomycota: morels, truffles, yeasts, cup
fungi
• Basidiomycota: mushrooms, puffballs,
rusts, smuts
• Deuteromycota (Fungi Imperfecti - sexual
reproduction has not been observed):
Penicillium, athletes foot, ringworm, blue
cheese mold
Fungal Associations
• Lichen – symbiotic association
between a fungus and a
photosynthetic partner in which
the fungal partner protects the
photosynthetic
•Mycorrhizae – symbiotic
association in which a fungus
transfers minerals to a plant’s
roots, which in turn supply
carbohydrates to the fungus
Fungi Quiz
Label the parts of the mushroom
Fungi Quiz
• What substance makes up the cell walls of
fungi?
CHITIN
Fungi Quiz
• How do fungi obtain energy?
FUNGI ARE HETEROTROPHIC
DECOMPOSERS.
THE HYPHAE TIPS SECRETE AN ENZYME
THAT BREAK DOWN ORGANIC MATERIAL.
Fungi Quiz
• How do fungi reproduce?
FUNGI REPRODUCE BY SPORES.
Fungi Quiz
• Molds belong in the ________ phylum.
ZYGOMYCOTA
Fungi Quiz
• Yeast belongs in the __________ phylum.
ASCOMYCOTA
Fungi Quiz
• Mushrooms belong in the __________
phylum.
BASIDIOMYCOTA
Fungi Quiz
• Describe the symbiotic association that
occurs in lichen.
A fungus and a photosynthetic
partner in which the fungal partner
protects the photosynthetic partner
Fungi Quiz
• Describe the symbiotic association that
occurs in mycorrhizae.
Fungus transfers minerals to a plant’s
roots, which in turn supply
carbohydrates to the fungus
Vocabulary – Due Monday
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Ascocarp
Ascus
Basidium
Chitin
Dikaryon
Dikaryotic
Ectomycorrhizae
Endomycorrihizae
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Endomycorrihizae
Hypha
Fungi imperfecti
Lichen
Mycelium
Septa
Yeast
Zygosporangia
Fungus Survey
• Day 1 – Mushroom and Yeast
• Day 2 – Mold and Lichen
Mushroom
• Diagram mushroom – label cap, stem, gills