1. Why did the algae and the fungus get married?
Kingdom Fungi
Why did the algae and the fungus get married?

2. They took a lichen to each other!

3. Let’s recall.... Three Domains Four Kingdoms within Eukarya
Archaea, Eubacteria, Eukarya
Four Kingdoms within Eukarya
Plants
Animals
Protists
Fungi

4. Major Characteristics of Fungi...
Eukaryotic
Majority multicellular (few unicellular - yeasts)
Cell walls contain chitin, nitrogen-containing polysaccharide (plant cell walls are made of cellulose; chitin is also found in insect exoskeletons)
Heterotrophic
Non-motile (although a few have motile phases)
No distinct tissues (like in humans – skin, muscle...)

5. Structure - Filamentous
Bodies are made up of a network of fine filaments called HYPHAE (singular hypha)
In a mushroom (specialized reproductive part of the fungus) is a densely packed mass of hyphae
MYCELIUM –mass of hyphae

6. Above Ground and Below Ground

7. Aseptate or Septate
Many types of fungi have hyphae that are divided into cells by cross walls called SEPTA
Each individual cell has one or more nuclei
Some lack septa and each hypha appears to be one large, multinucleate cell

8. “Fairy Rings”
Mycelium grows outwards, evenly, consuming nutrients along the way
It dies at the centre and sends up spore-producing bodies at the edges
This phenomenon occurs in areas containing uniform quantities of nutrients, like lawns and fields

12. How Fungi Feed
Heterotrophic - “digest then ingest”= enzymes secreted to break down nutrients, then absorbed
- extracellular digestion
Three General Categories:
Saprophytes - host is dead
Parasites – host is alive and harmed
Symbiotic (mutualists)– host is alive and benefits

13. Saprophytes
recyclers or decomposers

14. Parasites – cause diseases such as athlete’s foot, ring worm, rusts, smuts, Dutch Elm disease, Cordyceps fungus

15. Symbiotic Fungi
Mutualistically beneficial relationship with plants or animals
Lichens –associations of fungi and algae
Mycorrhiza- association of fungi with plant roots
Most trees have mycorrhiza
Hyphae grow around plant root and often grow right into the root cells
Hyphae absorb minerals and release them into the roots and may also help maintain water and air flow around the roots
The fungus in turn absorbs nutrients from the plant
Trees lacking mycorrhiza do not grow as well as those in the same environment with mycorrhiza

16. Many fungi are useful to us...
Baking and brewing (yeasts)
Antibiotics (e.g., penicillin, cephalosporin) and other drugs (e.g. Cyclosporin)
Many organic acids are commercially produced with fungi (e.g. Citric acid in Coke is produced by an Aspergillus)
Some cheeses (e.g., Blue cheese uses Penicillium roqueforti or P. glaucum)

17. Reproduction ASEXUAL SEXUAL
Fragmentation – pieces of hyphae are broken off and grow into new mycelia
Asexual spores (produced by mitosis)
SEXUAL
Sexual spores (produced by meiosis)
**spores are an adaptation to terrestrial life (structures to prevent desiccation and produced in huge numbers e.g. One puffball can produce 1 trillion spores)

18. Reproduction

19. cap
stalk
Underside of cap
Gills – lined with spores
 spore print
Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print. A 3.5 cm glass slide placed in middle allows for examination of spore characteristics under a microscope Source:

20. Classifying Fungi
Life cycle and pattern of sexual reproduction are key features used to classify fungi into various groups
Five important phyla:
Chytridiomycota
Zygomycota
Glomeromycota
Ascomycota
Basidiomycota

21. 5 Important Phyla
A B C G Z
Source of all photos: tolweb.org

22. Ascomycota
Cup (sac) fungi
Antibiotics (Penicillium sp.)

23. Basidiomycota club fungi mushrooms
Photo source:

24. A and B are more closely related “higher fungi” because they are more organized
A B C G Z
Source of all photos: tolweb.org

25. Chytridiomycota aquatic microscopic flagellated cell stage
Chytrid Sporangium by David Patterson and Aimlee Laderman, 2001

26. Glomeromycota
Mycorrhiza – symbiotic relationship between plant root systems and fungi
Picture source:

27. Zygomycota
sporangia
bread mold
Picture Source:

28. Phylogeny

29. One day, one trail, so many fungi!

40. Time for you to work ... Read Section 12.4 pg. 450-458
You need to remember the 5 important phyla (describe and give an example of each)
Why are fungi important?
How do they live?