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General Characteristics of Fungi
Kingdom Fungi
Fungi are all eukaryotic heterotrophs.
Fungi have cell walls made of chitin.
Fungi digest their food outside of their
bodies and absorb the nutrients.
Most are multicellular. Cells are
arranged in long threads called hyphae.
All the hyphae together form the body of
the fungus, called the mycelium.
Fungus Body Structure
Black Bread Molds
Fungi Phyla
Fungi are divided into 4 phyla.
These divisions are based on the
fungus’s structure and methods of
sexual reproduction.
Zygomycota Life Cycle
Main Fungus Parts
Phylum Zygomycota
The Common Molds
Members of this phylum
have an important sexual
reproduction phase. The
gametes (like sperm and
eggs in animals) produced
are contained in a
zygospore that waits to
reproduce until conditions
are right.
Phylum Ascomycota
(Sac Fungi)
Spores are
produced in a
reproductive
structure called an
ascus. These spores
are called
ascospores and
there are eight
produced in each
ascus.
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Yeast
Powdery Mildews
Blue-Green Molds
Morels
Truffles
Ringworm/Athlete’s Foot
Ascomycota Life Cycle
Phylum Basidiomycota
(Club Fungi)
Mushrooms
Basidiospores are
produced in a
basidium during a
complex life cycle.
Club fungi have
club-shaped
structures that
contain “gills”
where the basidia
are found.
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Smuts
Toadstools
Rusts
Puffballs
Basidiomycota Life Cycle
Phylum Deuteromycota
Imperfect Fungi
Fungi that are
found that have
no observable
sexual
reproduction
stage are lumped
together in this
phylum.
Penicillium notatum
Phylum Deuteromycota
Lichens
Mutualism in Fungi
(Mutualistic Relationship Between Algae & Fungus)
The following two groups are
not true fungal phyla.
They represent the very close
symbiotic relationships that
fungi have formed with
photosynthetic organisms
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Structure
of Lichens
Mycorrhizae
More Information
(Mutualistic Relationship Between Plants & Fungus)
See section 21-2 in the text, pgs. 530-536.
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