fungi characteristics:
unicellular or multicellular heterotrophs
all are eukaryotic heterotrophs
kingdom fungi contains the largest and oldest organisms
multicellular fungi:
consists of most members of fungi
appears similar to plants but doesn't photosynthesize or have chloroplasts
unicellular fungi:
this type consists of yeast
it's found in soils, plant surfaces, and the human body
5 major features of fungi:
cell wall
hyphae
cross walls
fruiting body
mycelium
hyphae:
long chains of cells, grows at the tips
mycelium:
network of mass that grows below
fruiting body:
part of the organism that grows above ground
cross walls:
divides hyphae into cells, called septa
septa:
has large pores to allow nutrients, cytoplasm, and organelles to flow between cells
what does aseptate mean?
they have no septa
nutrition in fungi:
all are heterotrophs
produces enzymes to break down their food before they absorb it
three different strategies for obtaining nutrients
what are the three different strategies/modes for obtaining nutrients?
saprophytic, parasitic, and mutualistic
saprophytic fungi:
decomposers, that contribute to the recycling of nutrients in the envionment
^some of the most important fungi
what is a saprobe?
an organism that feeds on dead organisms or organic waste
parasitic fungi:
absorbs nutrients from living organisms
produces specialized hyphae called haustoria, which grows into the host tissue
(example, athletes foot)
mutualistic fungi:
lives in mutual relationship with another organism
often forms a relationship with plants, trading sugars for water and nutrients uptake
(most common example is lichens)
reproduction in fungi:
can reproduce asexually and sexually
three types of asexual reproduction
sexual reproduction involves fungi producing spores
what are the three types of asexual reproduction?
budding, fragmentation, and spore reproduction
budding:
reproduction method of unicellular fungi such as yeasts
new cell develops while attaches to the parent cell
the plasma membrane pinches off to partially separate the new cell from the parent cell
fragmentation
asexual reproduction occurs when the mycelium of a fungus is physically broken apart
if the fragment lands in a location with suitable growing condition, the hyphae will grow into a new mycelia
spore reproduction:
a spore is a haploid reproductive cell
haploid hyphae can fuse with other hyphae to form diploid organisms
can be reproduced asexually or sexually
asexual spore production:
happens through sporophores and sporangium, where hyphae is modified into a sac or case where spores are produced
sexual spore production:
happens when haploid spore develops into new haploid organism and haploid hyphae fuses with other hyphae, forming a diploid organism
what are sporophores?
fruiting bodies of spore forming fungi
what is sporangium?
a type of primitive sporophore, a hyphae modified into a sac or case in which spores are produced