Fungi- Chapter 14

Fungi• Eukaryotic• Unicellular and multicellular• Most are composed of hyphae (fungal filaments)• Nuclei occur in continuous mycelium• Heterotrophic absorbers• Cell wall present and predominantly made of chitin• Reproduction is asexual and sexual• Life cycles are variable• Numbers- ~100,000 species described• Habitat- ubiquitous, but primarily terrestrial• Size- microscopic and macroscopic• Storage product- glycogen

• Unikonts• Lack chitin• ~1000 species• Habitat- Soil, freshwater, and marine• Example- Rozella.

Phylum Cryptomycota

Phylum Chytridiomycota• Aseptate.• ~800 species• Habitat

– Soil from desert, ditches, and banks of ponds and streams, rumen of large mammals

• Motile zoospores and gametes with a single whiplash flagellum

• Example- Allomyces• Sexual reproduction involves the

formation of a sporophyte• Asexual by zoospores

Phylum Microsporidia

• Spore forming unicellular animal parasites

• ~1500 species

• Lack mitochondria, golgi, and peroxisomes

• Reproduce by forming spores that shoot polar tubes into host cells

• Example-

Microsporidium

Phylum Glomeromycota

• Arbuscular endomycorrhizae

• 200 species so far

• Occur in about 80% of vascular plants

• Aseptate, coenocytic

• Asexual, large multinucleate spores

• Example- Glomus

Phylum Zygomycota

• Aseptate• ~1000 species• Habitat

– Plant and animal tissue in soil, some are parasitic on plants, insects, and small soil animals

• Nonmotile.• Example- Rhizopus stolonifer

(common bread mold)• Sexual reproduction involves

the formation of a zygosporangium

• Asexual by nonmotile spores

Phylum Ascomycota• Septate• ~32,000 species• Habitat

– Leaves, wood, plant fruit.• Nonmotile• Examples- Neurospora

(powdery mildew), Morchella (morel), Saccharomyces (yeast)

• Sexual reproduction involves the formation of asci on an ascocarp

• Asexual by budding, conidiospores, fragmentation

Phylum Basidiomycota• Septate• ~22,000 species• Habitat

– Plant litter• Nonmotile• Examples- Agaricus

(mushroom), Puccinia (rusts), Ustilago (smuts)

• Sexual reproduction involves the formation of basidia on an basidiocarp

• Asexual by budding, conidiospores, fragmentation

Lichens• Mycobiont and phycobiont• Mycobiont= part

Ascomycota & Basidiomycota

• ~13,000 species• Habitat

– From the desert to the poles

• Nonmotile• Examples- Caloplaca

(crustose), Parmelia (foliose), Usnea (fruticose)

• Reproduction is by fragmentation