Fungi

1. Fungi

2. General Characteristics • Cell Walls made of Chitin • Heterotrophic • Reproduce using spores

3. Nutrient Absorption • Always heterotrophic – either symbiotes or saprobes (decomposers) • External digestion via excreted exoenzymes • Hyphae (sing. hypha) – fungal equivalent of roots • Mycelia – multiple hyphae bonded together

4. Reproduction • Some species only do sexual • some only do asexual (e.g. yeast)

5. Symbiosis • Mycorrhizae – mutualistic relationship between fungi and plant roots • Nutrient exchange between the two

6. Symbiosis, Pt. 2 • Lichen a mutualistic relationship between fungus and small photosynthetic organisms • Some animals use fungi for digestion (e.g. Leafcutter Ants)

7. Chytrids • Simplest, most primitive fungi • Have flagellated Spores – zoospores • Have flagella • Gut flora in cattle

8. Zygomycetes • Many are molds • Very hardy • About 1,000 species

9. Microsporidia • Unicellular • Parasitic • Strange compared to other eukaryotes – no mitochondria • Rather interesting spores

10. Glomeromycetes • Smallest phylum • Quite similar to zygomycetes • Symbiotic with almost all plants (~90%) as mycorrhizae

11. Ascomycetes • “Sac Fungi” • Use sac-like fruiting bodies called Ascocarps for reproduction • Truffles, some yeasts, more than 40% of lichen fungi

12. Basidomycetes • “Club Fungi” - eg mushrooms, shelf fungi, some yeasts • Heads of reproductive structures (e.g. mushroom caps) spore release system • Mostly decomposers

13. Effects on humans • Help important crops grow • Provide foodor food additives – alcohol and rising bread • Penicillin and similar antibiotics

14. Works Cited Campbell, Neil A. Biology. 7th ed. [S.l.]: Benjamin-Cummings, 2005. Print.