(1) Chapter 12: Mycology Pt.1

What is mycology?

The study of fungi and the diseases they cause.

What kingdom do fungi belong to?

Kingdom Fungi.

What domain do fungi belong to?

Domain Eukarya.

Are fungi prokaryotic or eukaryotic?

Eukaryotic.

What type of nutrition do fungi use?

Heterotrophic absorption.

What does saprophytic mean?

Obtaining nutrients from dead organic matter by secreting digestive enzymes and absorbing the products.

Why are fungi considered decomposers?

They break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients back into the environment.

Are fungi photosynthetic?

No.

How do fungi digest food?

They secrete enzymes outside the body and absorb the digested nutrients.

Why are fungi resistant to osmotic pressure?

They tolerate environments with high salt or sugar concentrations.

Why can fungi grow in low-moisture environments?

They are more resistant to drying than many bacteria.

What sterol is found in fungal cell membranes?

Ergosterol.

Do fungi contain peptidoglycan?

No.

What are fungal cell walls primarily made of?

Chitin, glucans, and mannans.

How do fungal cell walls differ from bacterial cell walls?

Fungal cell walls contain chitin instead of peptidoglycan.

How do fungi reproduce?

Both sexually and asexually.

What is the purpose of fungal spores?

Reproduction.

Are bacterial endospores reproductive?

No; they are survival structures.

What metabolic types are found in fungi?

Mostly aerobic; some yeasts are facultative anaerobes.

What are multicellular filamentous fungi called?

Molds.

What are unicellular fungi called?

Yeasts.

How do yeasts reproduce?

Budding.

What are bud scars?

Marks left from previous budding events.

What is a thallus?

The body of a fungus.

What is a hypha?

A microscopic threadlike filament that makes up fungi.

What is the plural of hypha?

Hyphae.

What is a mycelium?

A mass of hyphae.

Can individual hyphae be seen without a microscope?

Usually no.

What is a teleomorphic fungus?

A fungus capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction.

What is an anamorphic fungus?

A fungus that reproduces only asexually.

Why are anamorphic fungi thought to reproduce only asexually?

They likely lost the ability to reproduce sexually through mutation.

Give two examples of anamorphic fungi.

Penicillium and Candida albicans.

What are aerial hyphae?

Reproductive hyphae that bear spores.

What are vegetative hyphae?

Hyphae that absorb nutrients and distribute them through the fungus.

Where are vegetative hyphae located?

Inside the substrate or growth medium.

Where are aerial hyphae located?

Extending above the surface of the substrate.

Which hyphae produce reproductive structures?

Aerial hyphae.

What are septate hyphae?

Hyphae divided into separate cells by septa.

What are septa?

Cross walls separating fungal cells.

What are coenocytic hyphae?

Hyphae without septa containing many nuclei.

Which type of hypha appears multinucleate?

Coenocytic hyphae.

What is dimorphism?

The ability of certain fungi to exist as both yeast and mold.

Which form do pathogenic dimorphic fungi take at 37°C?

Yeast.

Which form do pathogenic dimorphic fungi take at 25°C?

Mold.

Why is dimorphism important?

It allows fungi to adapt to environmental versus body conditions.

What environmental factor causes many pathogenic fungi to switch forms?

Temperature.

What form is associated with infection in humans?

Yeast form.

What form is associated with growth in soil?

Mold form.

What genus was used as an example of dimorphism?

Mucor.