Kingdom
Fungi
Fungi In The Scheme Of Life
Plantae
Fungi
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Protista
Monera
Animalia
Why Fungi Are Important
Important
as decomposers
Spoil food
Produce antibiotics
Cause disease in plants
Why Fungi Are Important
 Cause disease in animals (Athletes
foot, yeast infections, etc.)
 Poison humans and animals
 Important food source
 Produce important fuels and
industrial chemicals (ie. ethanol)
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During the American Revolution (1775-1783),
more British ships were destroyed by wooddigesting fungi than by enemy attack.
Fungal Characteristics
Eukaryotic
Multicellular
(with one exception)
Heterotrophic
Absorb nutrients - may be
saprobes (absorb from dead
material), parasites, or mutualistic
symbionts (with algae make
lichen).
Fungal Characteristics
Secrete
powerful enzymes
Cell walls contain chitin, a
polysaccharide also found in
arthropod exoskeletons
Lack flagella
The Body Plan of Fungi
Vegetative
body consists of
mycelia made up of networks of
hyphae
Hyphae - Long threads of cells
designed to maximize surface
area and also transport nutrients
Hyphae
Hyphae are designed to increase the surface area
of fungi and thus facilitate absorption
 May grow fast, up to 1 km per day, as they spread
throughout a food source
 In some fungi the cytoplasm in the hyphae are not
divided by cell walls. This continuous cytoplasm
contains several nuclei.
 In other fungi septa may be present. Septa partly
divide the hyphae into compartments but the
cytoplasm can still flow moving nutrients through
out the fungus
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Hyphae
Pores
Septa
No Septa
Classification of Fungi
 Classification
of fungi is based on life cycle,
specifically reproductive structures.
 Fungi can reproduce both sexually and
asexually by means of spores
 There are three major phyla of fungi, classified
by their pattern of sexual reproduction.
 These are the conjugation fungi, the sac fungi,
and the club fungi.
 A fourth phylum called the imperfect fungi
includes thousands of fungi where their sexual
reproduction pattern is unknown.
Zygomycota (Conjugation Fungi)
 Zygomycota
- Zyg = yolk - Zygote
forming fungi. Eg. Rhizopus
(common bread mould)
 About 600 described species
 Mostly terrestrial
 Root like hyphae, called rhizoids,
anchor the fungus, secrete digestive
enzymes, and absorb nutrients.
Zygomycota (Conjugation Fungi)
 Other
hyphae,
called stolons, grow
in a network over
the surface of the
food. Give rise to
sporangiophores,
which are the
reproductive
hyphae.
Zygomycota (Conjugation Fungi)
Usually reproduce asexually by spore formation.
 Conjugation occurs when hyphae of different
strains touch.
 The hyphae swell and produce a gameteproducing structure.
 The wall between the two hyphae break and the
nuclei fuse to form a number of diploid (2n)
nuclei.
 Forms a zygospore which allows the fungus to
survive harsh environmental conditions. Will
grow again when conditions are favourable.

Ascomycota (The Sac Fungi)
Ascomycota - Asc = sack - Truffles, yeasts,
powdery mildew, morels & cup fungi.
 Largest group of fungi
 All are multi-cellular with the exception of yeasts.

Ascomycota (The Sac Fungi)
 Hyphae
have septa.
 Sac Fungi produce
two kinds of spores :
Sexual spores –
ascospores
Asexual spores –
conidia
 Ascospores develop
within a saclike
ascus.
Ascomycota (The Sac Fungi)
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The visible portion of the
fungus is the fruiting body
which contains the spore
bearing sacs (asci).
Beneath the surface is a
large mycelium.
Some members of this
group cause plant diseases.
Basidiomycota (The Club Fungi)
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Basidiomycota - Basidium = club
About 25,000 described species including
mushrooms, toadstools, puffballs, rusts and smuts.
Important decomposers of wood because of their
ability to hydrolyze lignin
Basidiomycota (The Club Fungi)
 The
fruiting body only
grows when conditions
are favourable.
 The main part of this
fungus is the mycelium
which grows
underground.
The
largest living organism in the world is a club
fungus (a honey mushroom) in Oregon. It’s
mycelium covers an area of about 2200 acres; the
size of 1220 soccer fields.
Basidiomycota (The Club Fungi)
 Asexual
reproduction
is uncommon
 Sexual reproduction
produces basidiospores
which are produced in
the fruiting body or
“club” of the fungus.
Basidiomycota (The Club Fungi)
The mushroom consists of a stalk and a cap.
 The undersurface has many “gills” that are made
up of hyphae.
 Each gill has many basidia where the spores are
produced.

Basidiomycota (The Club Fungi)
Many types of mushrooms are edible but many are
also extremely poisonous.
 There are three main species of wild mushrooms
which can be harvested in Saskatchewan: morels,
chanterelles and pine mushrooms.
 Since the different species are harvested at different
times, these wild mushrooms can be harvested
throughout the growing season.
 Make sure you are able to positively identify any
wild mushroom you find before eating it as it may
be your last meal !!!!
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Chanterelles
Pine
Mushroom
Deuteromycota (Imperfect Fungi)
 Deuteromycota
- Deuter = second The imperfect fungi
 These organisms exhibit all the
characteristics of fungi, but have not
been observed reproducing sexually
 As classification is based on sexual
reproduction, Deutoeromycetes cannot
be definitively placed in any phylum
Deuteromycota (Imperfect Fungi)

Beneficial - Pennicillium
Harmful – Athlete’s foot
Lichens
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Lichens – Symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae.
Over 25,000 species described.
Some lichens are estimated to be more than 4500 years
old.
Ascomycetes are usually the fungal component although
some basidiomycetes lichens are known.
Hyphae account for most mass.
Fungus provides moist environment protection, support
and minerals.
Algae provides fixed carbon (photosynthesis).