Ascomycetes

What is the largest fungal phylum

Ascomycota.

What is the fruiting body of Ascomycetes called

An ascocarp.

What reproductive structures are found inside an ascocarp

Asci (ascus) containing ascospores.

What is the synapomorphy of Ascomycetes

Each ascus contains eight ascospores.

What are the three main types of ascocarps

Perithecium, Cleistothecium, and Apothecium.

Describe a perithecium.

A flask-shaped ascocarp with a small opening (ostiole) at the top.

Describe a cleistothecium.

A closed, spherical ascocarp; asci are only visible when the wall is broken.

Describe an apothecium.

An open, cup-shaped ascocarp exposing the asci.

What type of reproduction uses asci and ascospores

Sexual reproduction.

How are ascospores released in a cleistothecium

They are visible only after the fruiting body wall breaks.

Give examples of ascomycete fruiting bodies.

Orange peel fungus, morels, eyelash cup, elfin saddle, lemon drops, Chlorociboria.

What is the perithecial form of an ascomycete

An ascocarp with perithecia, often seen in species like Xylaria.

What diseases are caused by perithecial ascomycetes

Sycamore anthracnose, Hypoxylon canker of aspen, and Dead man’s fingers.

What is an example of an ascomycete with perithecia visible under the microscope

Xylaria (perithecial form).

What is powdery mildew

An ascomycete fungus that reproduces asexually using conidia.

What are conidia

Asexual spores formed on specialized hyphae (conidiophores).

What type of reproduction do conidia represent

Asexual reproduction.

What are yeasts

Unicellular fungi that reproduce asexually by budding or fission; include members of both Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.

How many yeast species are known

About 1,500.

Do all yeasts exist only as unicellular organisms

No, some can alternate between yeast (unicellular) and multicellular forms.

Name three tree diseases caused by Ascomycetes.

Chestnut blight, Beech bark disease, Dutch elm disease.

Name two needle diseases caused by Ascomycetes.

Dothistroma needle blight and Rhabdocline/Phaeocryptopus needle casts.

What is Tar Spot

A fungal disease caused by Ascomycetes, forming dark spots on leaves.

What is a lichen

A symbiotic association between a fungus (usually an ascomycete) and an alga or cyanobacterium.

What are the three main lichen growth forms

Crustose, Foliose, and Fruticose.

Describe a crustose lichen.

Thin, flat, tightly attached to the substrate with unlobed edges; algae dispersed throughout.

Describe a foliose lichen.

Foliage-like, circular, lobed, and leaf-like; a “fungal sandwich” with algal layer inside.

Describe a fruticose lichen.

Shrubby or hanging, attached only at the base, and upright or pendulous.

What ecological roles do Ascomycetes play

Decomposers, pathogens, and symbionts (as lichens or mycorrhizae).