K INGDOM F UNGI Packet #66 Chapter #31

C HARACTERISTICS Considered as the “kingdom of lower plants Heterotrophic eukaryotes Unicellular or multicellular Body composed of hyphae that form from tangled masses that infiltrate food or habitat Cell walls composed of chitin. Thursday, October 22, © Ryan Barrow 2008

E COLOGICAL R OLE Decomposers Fungal enzymes destroy many grains and other stored goods and building materials, and cause many diseases in animals and plants Responsible for much spoilage and crop loss Organisms live as parasites, symbionts or saphrophytes Some may be pathogenic to humans and plants because they release poisonous toxins Fungi provide beverages and food Yeast is used in the making of bread and alcoholic beverages Used in the production of cheese Many basidiomycete and ascomycete fruiting bodies are eaten as “mushrooms” Used in the production of industrial chemicals or antibiotics Thursday, October 22, © Ryan Barrow 2008

F UNGI AS P ATHOGENS IN A NIMALS © Ryan Barrow Superficial Mycoses (Animals) Ring worm Caused by Tinea nigra Subcutaneous Mycoses (Animals) Lesions that appear at the site of inoculation/infection Aflatoxins, produced by some species of Aspergillus, are potent carcinogens Often grow on peanut and corn products May cause liver damage

F UNGI AS P ATHOGENS IN P LANTS Thursday, October 22, 2015 © Ryan Barrow Claviceps purpurea infects rye and other cereal plants, forming an ergot, which contain toxins, including lysergic acid Consumption of bread contaminated by ergot causes ergotism, which caused many deaths during the Middle Ages Some compounds of ergot are now used to treat

F UNGI AS P ATHOGENS II Thursday, October 22, 2015 © Ryan Barrow Plant diseases, caused by fungi that commonly spread rapidly, can cause complete crop failure Plants may be infected when hyphae enter through stomata, or wounds or by dissolving away the cuticle with cutinase (an enzyme) Haustoria, specialized hyphae, penetrate plant cells and absorb nutrients

F UNGI AS D ECOMPOSERS Thursday, October 22, 2015 © Ryan Barrow Phylum Zygomycota Bread mold

F UNGI AS F OOD Thursday, October 22, 2015 © Ryan Barrow May be used by insects and other small animals as food Many mushrooms are harmful to humans For more pictures view seaman.com/fungi seaman.com/fungi

K INGDOM F UNGI D IVISION A SCOMYCOTA Thursday, October 22, © Ryan Barrow 2008

Y EAST —F OOD P RODUCTION S ACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE Thursday, October 22, 2015 © Ryan Barrow Phylum Ascomycota Yeasts

P ATHOGENIC Y EASTS C RYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS Thursday, October 22, 2015 © Ryan Barrow

A NTIBIOTICS & V ITAMINS Thursday, October 22, 2015 © Ryan Barrow Source of antibiotics Penicillin Penicillium notatum Cephalosporin (an antibiotic), cyclosporine (an immunosuppressant) and statins (lower cholesterol) are important drugs derived from fungi. Source of vitamins and enzymes.