Introduction to Mycology and Fungal Kingdom

Practice flashcards covering the characteristics, classification, and reproduction of the Kingdom Fungi based on the lecture material.

Fungi

Filamentous, spore-producing, heterotrophic eukaryotes that were historically classified as plants but lack chloroplasts and photosynthesis.

Filamentous

A characteristic of fungi describing cells that are tubular and look like strands, with the exception of unicellular yeasts.

Yeasts

The unicellular exception to most fungi, characterized by oval-shaped cells rather than tubular filaments.

Heterotrophic

An organism that cannot make its own energy or carbon-containing compounds from carbon dioxide and must consume matter made by other organisms.

Extracellular digestion

A feeding method where fungi secrete digestive enzymes onto their food to break it down externally before absorbing the material.

Saprodes (Saprophytic)

Fungi that obtain nutrients by breaking down and eating dead organic matter, such as logs or leaves.

Chitin

A polysaccharide that makes up the cell walls of fungi, distinguishing them from plant cell walls which are made of cellulose.

Hyphae

The filamentous, tubular cells that make up the body of a fungus.

Mycelium

A mass of hyphae that forms the main body of a fungus.

Budding

A form of asexual reproduction, commonly seen in yeasts, where new cells grow directly off the original cell.

Fragmentation

An asexual reproduction method where a fungus propagates by breaking off into pieces and spreading.

Chytridiomycota (Chytrids)

The oldest and simplest phylum of fungi; includes species causing potato wart and a skin disease impacting amphibians.

Batrachochytrium

A genus of chytrid fungi that infects the skin of frogs and salamanders, often proving fatal because it prevents them from absorbing oxygen through their skin.

Zygomycota

Referred to as conjugating fungi, this group includes various molds like bread mold and species like Pilobolus.

Pilobolus

Also known as the hat-throwing fungus, it lives in cow manure and builds water pressure to shoot its sporangia onto grass to be eaten by cows.

Rhizopus stolonifer

Commonly known as black bread mold, it is a zygomycete that forms black sporangia on white mycelium.

Plasmogamy

The step in sexual reproduction where the cell walls between two compatible strains disappear, allowing the contents of the cells to merge.

Dikaryotic ($n+n$)

A stage in the fungal life cycle where each cell contains two separate nuclei, one from each parent strain, before they fuse.

Karyogamy

The fusion of two nuclei within a dikaryotic cell to form a single diploid ($2n$) nucleus.

Glomeromycota

A group of soil fungi that live around the roots of plants and form symbiotic relationships.

Mycorrhizae

A mutualistic relationship between fungi and plant roots where the fungus helps absorb minerals and the plant provides sugars.

Ascomycota

The largest and most diverse group of fungi, often called sac or cup fungi; includes yeasts, Penicillium, morels, and truffles.

Ascus

A microscopic, tube-like, spore-producing structure characteristic of Ascomycota that typically contains up to eight spores.

Ascocarp

The macroscopic sexual reproductive structure of an ascomycete, such as the cup-shaped body of a cup fungus.

Conidia

Asexual spores produced by certain ascomycetes like penicillium and aspergillus on modified hyphae.

Basidiomycota

Known as club fungi, this group contains true mushrooms, puffballs, and shell fungi.

Basidium

A microscopic, club-shaped structure in Basidiomycota that produces up to four spores.

Basidiocarp

The fleshy, macroscopic fruiting body of a basidiomycete, commonly known as a mushroom.

Primary Mycelium (Monokaryotic)

Mycelium that originates from a single spore where each cell possesses only one nucleus.

Secondary Mycelium (Dikaryotic)

Mycelium formed when two compatible primary strains fuse, creating cells with two nuclei; this structure is required to produce a mushroom.

Clamp Connections

Specific bridge-like structures visible under a microscope on dikaryotic hyphae of Basidiomycota, used to identify if a fungus is secondary mycelium.

Lichen

A symbiotic partnership between a fungus (usually Ascomycota) and a photosynthetic organism like green algae or cyanobacteria.

Crustose

A lichen form that appears as flat, colorful patches or discolorations that resemble a crust on rocks or trees.

Foliose

A lichen form that is leafy in appearance, sometimes resembling kale.

Fruticose

A lichen form that looks like branched moss and is often found on the lower branches of trees.