Kingdom Fungi The following PPT was slightly modified from the original work found on the following site: www.worldofteaching.com/powerpoints/biology/fungi.ppt

Kingdom Fungi – There are 5 Major Phyla (pg 365) Phylum Zygomycota = the Bread Molds Rhizopus – black bread mold Oomycota = the Water Molds Water mold, potato blight, mildew Phylum Ascomycota = the Sac Fungi Yeast, morels, truffles Phylum Basidiomycota = the Club Fungi Mushrooms, puffballs, bracket fungi, rusts, smuts, toadstools Phylum Deuteromycota = the Fungi Imperfecti

Fungal Characteristics        1)Cell wall made of Chitin     2)Heterotrophs and major Decomposers      3)Body is made of Long filaments of hyphae which form a mycelium         4)Reproduce sexually and asexually Asexually by spores Sexually by mating of hyphae filaments

Zygomycota (Rhizopus) the Common Molds -are primarily decomposers -asexual spores may be produced in sporangia -sexual reproduction occurs between + and – strains forming a 2n zygote; a zygospore develops and may lie dormant for a long period of time; meiosis occurs just before germination -only the zygote is diploid; all hyphae and asexual spores are haploid

Bread Mold – a Zygomycete Fungi

Zygomycota – common molds The fungal mass of hyphae, known as the MYCELIUM penetrates the bread and produces the fruiting bodies on top of the stalks Mycelia = a mass of hyphae or filaments

Rhizoids = root-like hyphae The rhizoids meet underground and mating occurs between hyphae of different molds (SEXUAL REPRODUCTION)

Zygomycota (Rhizopus)

Water Molds -- Oomycota The water molds are better known as the MILDEWS. Fish tank fuzz is an example. Protist-like mold because share common characteristics with plant-like protists, such as the cell wall

Things to Know about Oomycete Fungi Water molds or mildews Cause diseases such as potato blight Cell walls made of cellulose (like plant) Hyphae have multiple nuclei! Because the cell walls do not fully close off. Spore swims away like a flagellate, which is why it is protist like (think of Euglena)

Ascomycota – Cup Fungi

Note the cup shapes and orange peel colour Cup Fungi – Ascomycete Fungi Note the cup shapes and orange peel colour

Yeast is an Ascomycete Fungus

Truffles are round, warty, fungi that are irregular in shape Truffles are round, warty, fungi that are irregular in shape. They vary from the size of a walnut to that of a man's fist. Since the times of the Greeks and Romans these fungi have been used in Europe as delicacies, as aphrodisiacs, and as medicines. They are among the most expensive of the world's natural foods, often commanding as much as $250 to $450 per pound. Truffles are harvested in Europe with the aid of female pigs or truffle dogs, which are able to detect the strong smell of mature truffles underneath the surface of the ground. The female pig becomes excited when she sniffs a chemical that is similar to the male swine sex attractant. The use of dogs to find truffles is also and option.

Morels are Ascomycete Fungi

Mushrooms – “Club Like” Fungi or Basidiomycete Fungi

Basidiomycete or Club Fungi

Bracket Fungi – Basidiomycete Fungi

An example of Fungi You know

Basidiomycete Fungi that all produce Basiospores Bracket Fungi Puff Balls Basidiomycete Fungi that all produce Basiospores Jelly Fungi Mushrooms

Other Basidiomycetes Rusts and Smuts Rust infecting wheat leaves Whitrot Smut digesting old wood Rust infecting a Leaf

Deuteromycota (Imperfect Fungi) -Regarded as imperfect because they exhibit no sexual stage has been observed in their life cycle -Members are not closely related and are not necessarily similar in structure or appearance; do not share a common ancestry, polyphyletic = coming from many ancestors – hmm weird 

Deuteromycota – the Fungi Imperfecti Resemble Ascomycetes, but their reproductive cycle has never been observed Different from Ascomycetes because there is a definite lack of sexual reproduction, which is why they are called Imperfect Fungi Penicillium fungi Up Close

Lichens Lichens are mutualistic symbiotic organisms. They have a fungal portion and an algal portion. There are three lichen growth forms which are predominant in nature:

Fruticose Crustose Foliose

Soredia are the asexual reproductive part of lichens, containing both symbionts. Rhizines may be present to anchor the lichen. Notice the distinctive algal layer and the fungal layer present in the above illustration.

Mycorrhizae Mycorrhizae means “fungus-root”; mutualistic relationship between plant and fungi The plant photosynthesizes while the fungus more efficiently takes up nutrients and water from the rhizosphere than the roots would alone. Plant benefits include: Improved nutrient/water uptake Improved root growth Improved plant growth and yield Improved disease resistance Reduced transplant shock Reduced drought stress