1. The Fungi Kingdom Mycology - the study of fungi fungi - plural
fungus - singular
4 Main Characteristics of Fungi
1) fungi are eukaryotic
they have a nuclei & mitochondria
2) they are heterotrophs
they depend on other organisms for food
3) they are multicellular
4) they cannot move on their own

2. The Fungi Kingdom 4 Reasons Fungi Are Different From Plants
1) fungi lack chlorophyll
2) fungi are not photosynthetic
Saprophyte-feeds on dead/decaying organisms
cannot produce their own food
most are saprophytes
some are parasites
3) they never reproduce by seeds
4) most fungi have cell walls made of chitin…
Plant cell walls are made of
cellulose

3. The Fungi Kingdom Parts of fungi:
network of thin thread-like structures (filaments) that form the “body” of fungus
Hyphae –
hypha - singular
hyphae - plural
hyphae contain cytoplasm
hyphae grow and branch until they cover and digest the food source (upon which the fungi is growing).

4. The Fungi Kingdom Mycelium - a mass of hyphae mycelia - plural
The mycelium is usually hidden in the soil, in wood, or another food source
Some hyphae may be divided by septa.
mycelium.html
A mycelium may fill a single ant, or cover many acres

5. What are we looking at when we see a… fungus-among-us?
The Fungi Kingdom
What are we looking at when we see a… fungus-among-us?
The part of the fungus that we see is only the “fruit” of the organism
The ‘living’ body of the fungus is a mycelium

6. The Fungi Kingdom Fungi Reproduction:
1. Most fungi reproduce both sexually and asexually.
2. Most fungi reproduce by using spores (asexual)
3. Fungi spores are microscopic.
EX: Mushrooms & puffballs release large clouds of spores. Each cloud contains millions of spores
Reproduction is classified according to:
1) the way they form the spores
2) the shape of the structure in which spores are made

7. Asexual reproduction – production of various types of spores
*Sporangiophores- upright stalk with an enclosed sac ( bread mold)
*Conidia - upright stalk with no enclosed sac (penicillin)
*Fragmentation – hyphae dry out and shatter releasing individual cells that act like spores (athlete’s foot)
*Budding – part of a yeast cell pinches itself off to produce small offspring

8. Sexual reproduction
*Hyphae of different mating types fuse and give rise to a specialized structure that produces spores (diploid)
*Most fungi are haploid throughout most of their life cycle
When environmental conditions are favorable, asexual reproduction occurs rapidly. When unfavorable conditions stress the organism, sexual reproduction occurs and the offspring have an increased likelihood that they will be better suited for the environment.

9. The Fungi Kingdom Main Types of Fungi: 1.Zygomycota/Common molds
Sporangium fungi reproduces by spores in the sporangia
Sporangia- structures found on the tips of hyphae that make spores
Spraying with blue
vitriol
Eg: Bread Mold,Peronospore
Bread mold produces spores in sporangia that stick up above the bread

10. The Fungi Kingdom Types of Fungi 2. Sac Fungi -
produce spores in sac-like structures
fungi.htm
Eg: yeasts,cup fungi,powdery mildews,Penicillinum

11. 2. Sac fungi (Ascomycotes)
Unicellular,
reproduces by budding
Ergot
Morels
Sir Alexander Flemming-penicillin

12. 3. Phylum Basidiomycota – Club Fungi
Gets name from specialized reproduction structure resembling a club, called basidium – found on the underside of mushroom cap in the gills
One mushroom may produce 1 billion spores
Some are edible, some are toxic
Examples: Mushrooms, toadstools
Most elaborate life cycle of all the fungi
/or cup
button

13. 3. Club fungi (Basidiomycetes)
Jack-o’-lantern
Brackets
Earth stars
Puffballs

14. 3. Club fungi (Basidiomycetes)
Toadstool
Eg: Death cap
Champignon

15. Importance of fungi
-many of them live in mutualism with the roots of trees.
They can substitute root hairs as in the case of pine trees.
-they can be decomposers
-they can cause diseases to plants, to animals or even humans
-they can be edible or poisonous
-they can be useful for alimentary,distilling and pharmaceutical
industry

16. Lichens

17. Where do lichens belong in the classification of living organisms?
* Lichens are dual organisms, so they are difficult to place in a classification
* They represent symbiotic (mutualistic) relationships between fungi and green algae, fungi and cyanobacteria, or fungi and both
* The fungus is the dominant physical component of the lichen thallus, and lichens are usually classified with the fungi
* Nevertheless, the association appears to have originated through fungi parasitizing algae and/or cyanobacteria

18. Human Uses of Lichens
Brown, purple and red fabric dyes (e.g. Scottish tweeds and tartans)
* Part of the daily diet, e.g. Lecanora esculenta (“manna”?) in Iran, flour from Cetraria islandica (Iceland moss) in Scandinavian ship’s biscuits, Inuit “nirukkaq” - partly digested lichens from caribou & muskox stomachs in winter
* Commercial production of sugar in Russia, WWII
* ‘Iwatake (Umbilicaria esculanta) as delicacy in Japan
More uses of lichens - medicine, embalming and perfumery
Many lichen extracts are inhibitory to the growth of Gram-positive bacteria
* Some are also effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosus
* Oakmoss (Evernia prunastri) and Treemoss (Pseudoevernia furfuracea) are used in Europe to make fixatives for perfumes and soaps.
* The antibiotic properties of lichens were exploited by the ancient Egyptians in their embalming procedures

19. Lichens

20. Special characteristics of lichens
-they are pioneers
-they produce acid to dissolve rocks
-they don’t tolerate sulphur-dioxide in the air
-as they die massively in case of air pollution,
they are indicators of it.