Kingdom Fungi Vocabulary

Flashcards covering the vocabulary of the Kingdom Fungi lecture notes.

Hypha

The basic cellular unit of a fungus.

Mycelium

An elaborate network of hyphae.

Spores

Propagating units, produced asexually or sexually, that give rise to new individuals.

Sporangium

Asexual spore-producing bodies.

Fruiting bodies

Sexual reproductive structures used for sexual spore formation.

Septate hypha

Small, uni- or bi-nucleated hyphae cells separated by a wall-like septum with a pore.

Coenocytic hypha

Large, multi-nucleated hyphae cells with no septa or pores.

Haustoria

Cytoplasmic hand-like extensions from hyphae cells used for feeding.

Plasmogamy

The sharing of cytoplasm between two opposite gametangia (sex organs) or hyphae cells of two different individuals.

Karyogamy

Fusion of nuclei from the two opposite gametangia or individuals thereby producing a diploid zygote.

Budding

An asexual reproductive process performed by yeast. It involves the unequal cytokinesis which produces two genetically identical daughter cells of unequal size.

Deuteromycetes

Fungi without sexual reproductive capabilities, or fungi for which sexual reproduction has yet to be identified.

Zygosporangium

The fruiting body of zygomycetes.

Glomeromycetes

Live symbiotically within plant root cells. The fungus absorbs water and nutrients that are supplied to the roots. In turn, the plant supplies glucose to the fungi.

Mycorrhizae

A mutualistic relationship between fungi and plant root cells.

Ectotrophic mycorrhizae

Fungi surround the root.

Endotrophic mycorrhizae

Fungi live inside the root cells.

Lichens

A mutualistic relationship between an ascomycete fungus and either red or green algae. Fungi absorb nutrients and water for algal cells, and algae provide glucose to fungal cells.

Soredia

Lichen fragments that contain fungal hyphae wrapped around algal cells.

Fruticose

“shrub-like” lichens. Grow in the tundra and is a major food source for reindeer and caribou

Foliose

“leaf-like” lichens. Commonly found on branches of wetland trees.

Crustose

“crust-like” lichens.

Rusts and Smuts

Rusts are pathogenic fungi of the leaves or stems of a plant. Smuts are pathogenic fungi of the fruit of a plant.

Blue Cheese

A cheese with a fungal mold streaked through it.