Kingdom Fungi

What are some fungi

• Molds

• Lichens

• Mushrooms

There is a fungus among us!

• Fungi are everywhere:– Cheese– Mold– Athlete’s Foot– Food – edible Mushrooms– Poisonous Mushrooms

Mushrooms examples

• During the summer you may see them sprout up in your yard.

• Especially after a long-term rainstorm in the summer.

Edible Mushroom

• This is a morel mushroom.

Yeast

• unicellular• Reproduce asexually by cell splitting or

budding

What are the structures of a fungus?

• Fungus body• Hypha (pl.=Hyphae)

• Mycelium (pl.=Mycelia)• Gills in mushrooms

Branching, threadlike tubes that make up the bodies

Cap

Stalk

How are they similar to other organisms?

• Presence of cell wall: Chitin • Eukaryotes: organelles, e.g. nuclei,

mitochondria, membranes

How do fungi eat?With a knife and fork? NO! They are

decomposers!Enzymes (chemicals) are given off by the fungus The enzymes breaks

down the material the fungus is growing on into food.

The food is then digested by the enzymes.

The digested food is then absorbed by the fungus.

Heterotroph or autotroph?

• They get their food from another source so they are Heterotrophs.

How do Fungi reproduce?

• Reproduce by spores (Asexual)

• Sexual reproduction by hyphae tubes mixing genetic material.

They can in two ways:

Bad things caused by fungi:

• Ringworm

• Athlete’s Foot• Under toenails and fingernails.

Uses of fungi:

• Food - cheese, eating mushrooms themselves.

• Medicines - Penicillin

Summary of Characteristics• Eukaryotes• Body composed of hypha, mycelium or yeast, or

both.• Reproduce asexually by spores • Cell Wall, usually of chitin• Most multicellular • Unicellular = yeast• Heterotrophs.– Mode of nutrition – absorption