Kingdom Fungi

Characteristics• Eukaryotic • Heterotrophic

– Digest food outside of their bodies• Multicellular, except for yeasts (unicellular)• Present all over the world

– marine and terrestrial environments• Cell walls contain chitin• Main body composed of hyphae• Reproduction involves sexual and asexual

phases

• Most fungi grow as tubular filaments called hyphae. An interwoven mass of hyphae is called a mycelium.

• The walls of hyphae are often strengthened with chitin

• Fungi reproduce by releasing spores from a fruiting body. The spore is released into the air and the wind carries it off to start the next generation.

• Composed of mushrooms, molds and yeast

• Mycorrhizae– symbiotic relationships

with plants, work as partners

– Soil fungi attach themselves onto plant roots

– Fungi helps plants absorb more water and nutrients, while plant provides food for fungi

• Use in everyday life: making bread (yeast), antibiotics (ie. Penicillin), eating (mushrooms)

• Mushrooms are Fungi!

• Club Fungi – look like umbrellas growing from the ground or like shelves

• Sac Fungi – produce spores in special sacs called asci

• Lichens – union between fungus and algae

• Conjugation Fungi – black bread mold

http://biodidac.bio.uottawa.ca/Thumbnails/showimage.cfm?File_name=ZYGO001B&File_type=GIF

• Imperfect Fungi – left-overs , penicillin

• Penicillin– First antibiotic– Attacks and kills bacteria

• Very good decomposers!

Human Fungus Diseases• Ringworm• Athlete’s foot• Amanita – death cap