KINGDOM FUNGI
Unit 2 - Biodiversity
Kingdom Fungi
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Eukaryotic
mostly Multicellular,
some unicellular
Cell walls with chitin
Heterotrohpic
Mostly terrestrial
Kingdom Fungi
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Eukaryotic
Mostly Multicellular
 Yeasts are unicellular
Heterotrophic by absorption
Walls made of CHITIN
Decomposers
 Live off dead or decaying matter
Parasites
 Live off a living host
Structure of Fungi
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Composed of hyphae
 Branched filaments (groups of cells) surrounded
by a hard chitin cell wall.
 Makes up the body of the fungi
 All except yeast, they are unicellular
Mycelium
 Mass of hyphae, similar to the roots of a plant
The visible part of the fungus (both in mold and
mushrooms) is called the fruiting body.
Structure
Hyphae
Whole Structure
How does fungi reproduce?
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Reproduce by spores
 Reproductive cells
 Can reproduce both sexually and asexually
 Held by the hyphae in a sporangia (spore case)
 Where new spores land, new fungus will grow.
 Think about how easily mold spreads on bread,
or when you chop up a mushroom with the lawn
mower and new mushrooms pop up.
 Spores are spread by wind, water, animals, etc.
How do they eat?
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Heterotrophic decomposers (some parasites).
Secrete digestive enzymes that decompose complex
molecules into simple molecules like sugars and
carbs.
 Molds digestive carbs in things like bread
 Mushrooms digest carbs and cellulose from the
cell walls of wood and plant cells.
The Four Groups of Fungi
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Zygomycota
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Ascomycota
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The Sac Fungi
 Ex: Yeasts
Basidiomycota
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The Common Molds
 Ex: Rhizopus stolonifer
(black bread mold)
The Club Fungi
 Ex: Mushrooms
Deuteromycota
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The Imperfect Fungi
 Ex: Penicillium notatum
Fungi and you
Positive Aspects of Fungi
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Decomposers
Food (mushrooms,
truffles, etc.)
Lichens grow on rocks
and help produce soil
Yeasts are used in
baking and brewing
industry
Antibiotic Production
Negative Aspects of Fungi
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Food Spoilage
Diseases
 athlete’s foot,
ringworm, plant
blight (American
chestnut)
poisonous mushrooms