BESC 204 Molds and Mushrooms Lecture Notes Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes from BESC 204 Molds and Mushrooms, covering key terms and concepts related to fungi.

Mycota

The kingdom that fungi belong to, separate from plants, animals, and bacteria.

Mycologist

A scientist who studies fungi.

Fungus

A eukaryotic, heterotrophic organism; devoid of chlorophyll; with chitin in cell walls; that obtains its nutrients by absorption, usually reproduces by spores, and usually exhibits a pronounced polarization of growing cells.

Cell Wall

A structure that contains chitin in cell walls.

Spores

Reproductive propagules, usually microscopic.

Sexual Spores

Products of meiosis.

Asexual Spores

Products of mitosis.

Morphological Species Concept

Things that look the same are of the same species. Most fungal species defined this way (particularly for species that have no known sexual reproduction).

Biological Species Concept

Interbreeding or potentially interbreeding natural populations are the same species. Strains that can mate in the laboratory may not be able to mate in nature and could be different species, however, operationally, mating in the lab is often used to define members of a species.

Phylogenetic Species Concept

Individuals of the same species share a genealogical relationship inferred by phylogenetic analysis. Assumes monophyly. Using phylogenetic analysis we can identify recombination within populations to determine which groups are interbreeding (share a common gene pool). Most appropriate species concept depends on the taxa under investigation. Of course when all are congruent this gives the greatest confidence

Chytridiomycota

True Fungi with flagellate spores both Zoospores in sporangia, They do not make hyphae, Thallus is coenocytic (septa are rare or absent), Cell walls contain chitin and Cellulose, Mostly aquatic or soil inhabiting saprobes, a few are parasitic on plants, animals and fungi

Allmoyces macrogynous

With hyphae that lack septa, Exhibits a complex life cycle with alteration of generations.

Zoopagomycota

Hyphae, no septa, zygospores, sporangiospores (~conidia), pathogens of animals.

Zygomycota

Hyphae, no septa, zygospores, sporangiospores.

Zygomycota Unifying Character

Asexual spores are sporangiospores made in a sporangium, With true hyphae that are mainly coenocytic, no septa in most newly developed hyphae, Terrestrial, Cell walls have: Chitan, chitosan (non-acecylated chitan) and polyglucuronic acid

Ascus

The unifying character of the Ascomycetes is the production of this structure filled with ascospores.

Holomorph

All forms (morphs) of the fungus, either latent or expressed.

Anamorph

Asexual (imperfect, mitotic) form(s).

Teleomorph

Sexual (perfect, meiotic) form.

Conidium

A non-motile, asexual spore formed ‘one at a time’ of a conidiogenous cell, Cell wall of conidium and the conidiogenous cell is continuous, They are not formed by cleavage of cyotplasm as is the case for sporangiospores and zoospores we have already encountered in the class. Consequently they are not surrounded by an additional sporangial wall.

Perithecium

A closed ascocarp with a pore (ostiole) at the top, and a wall of its own.

Apothecium

An open ascocarp, Asci in hymenium.

Cleistothecium

A completely closed ascocarp.

Ascostroma

A stromatic ascocarp bearing asci directly in locules within the stroma (also called pseudothecium).

Characteristics of a Basidiomycota

Usually produced on a macroscopic Basidiocarp, Production of a well developed septate mycelium, Production of clamp connections in some species, Presence of Dolipore septa in some species, Extended dikaryotic stage

Agarics

The hymenium is found on surface of gills