bio chapter 24

Fungi

Organisms that are more closely related to animals than to plants and are heterotrophic.

Heterotrophic

Describes organisms that obtain their energy and carbon from complex organic compounds.

Chitin

A component of fungal cell walls, also found in the exoskeletons of arthropods.

Glycogen

A form of carbohydrate storage in fungi, similar to that in animals.

Mycorrhizae

Symbiotic associations between fungi and plant roots that facilitate nutrient exchange.

Spores

Haploid cells produced by fungi that can undergo mitosis to form multicellular individuals.

Lichens

Symbiotic associations between fungi and photosynthetic organisms like algae.

Dutch Elm Disease

A disease that results from a fungal infection, devastating elm tree populations.

Mycologist

A biologist who specializes in the study of fungi.

Ascomycota

Phylum of fungi also known as sac fungi, characterized by the formation of asci.

Basidiomycota

Phylum of fungi that produces club-shaped structures called basidia.

Conidia

Asexual spores produced by fungi for asexual reproduction.

Haustoria

Modified hyphae that penetrate host tissues to absorb nutrients in parasitic fungi.

Coenocytic Hyphae

Multinucleate fungal hyphae that lack septa separating individual cells.

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.

Saprobe

An organism that derives nutrients from decaying organic matter.

Mycotoxicosis

Poisoning in humans or animals caused by fungal toxins in food.

Facultative Anaerobes

Organisms that can survive in both aerobic and anaerobic environments.

Obligate Aerobes

Organisms that require oxygen to survive.

Ectomycorrhizae

Mycorrhizal fungi that form outside the root cells of plants.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizae

Mycorrhizae where fungal hyphae penetrate the plant root cell walls.

Karyogamy

The fusion of haploid nuclei during fungal sexual reproduction.

Plasmogamy

The cytoplasmic fusion of cells, leading to dikaryotic cells in fungi.

Zygomycota

Phylum of fungi that includes conjugated fungi and forms zygospores.

Asexual Reproduction

Reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes, common in fungi.

Mycelium

The mass of fungal hyphae that forms the vegetative structure of fungi.

Thallus

The vegetative body of a fungus, which can be unicellular (yeast) or multicellular.

Bioremediation

The use of fungi to break down pollutants and restore damaged ecosystems.

Fungal Infections

Diseases caused by fungi, which can be superficial or systemic in humans.

Mycosis

A fungal infection, commonly affecting plant and animal tissues.

Septum (Septa)

The cell wall division separating individual cells in hyphae.

Sexual Reproduction in Fungi

Involves the fusion of gametes, leading to genetic variation.

Yeasts

Unicellular fungi that reproduce both asexually and sexually.

Fungal Fermentation

The metabolic process in which fungi convert sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.