Eukaryotic Fungi, Algae, Protozoa, and Mycoses Overview

What are fungi?

Eukaryotic organisms including yeasts, molds, and mushrooms.

How are fungi different from bacteria?

Fungi are eukaryotic, have nuclei, contain chitin in their cell walls, and have ergosterol in membranes.

What is the fungal cell wall made of?

Mainly chitin.

What is the bacterial cell wall made of?

Peptidoglycan.

What is found in fungal cell membranes?

Ergosterol.

What are hyphae?

Long, thread-like structures that make up many fungi.

What is a mycelium?

A network or mass of fungal hyphae.

What is a yeast?

A single-celled fungus.

How can fungi reproduce asexually?

By budding, fragmentation, or producing asexual spores.

What is budding?

A new cell grows as a smaller outgrowth from the parent cell.

What happens during fungal sexual reproduction?

Compatible cells fuse, nuclei fuse, and meiosis eventually produces genetically diverse spores.

What are mycoses?

Fungal diseases.

What are superficial mycoses?

Fungal infections affecting very superficial tissues.

What are cutaneous mycoses?

Fungal infections of skin, hair, or nails.

What are systemic mycoses?

Fungal infections that can spread through the body and affect internal organs.

What are opportunistic mycoses?

Fungal infections that occur more often when host defenses are weakened.

What are some economic benefits of fungi?

Bread, alcohol, fermentation, decomposition, food production, and antibiotics.

What antibiotic comes from Penicillium?

Penicillin.

What is a lichen?

A symbiotic association between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism.

What organisms can form the photosynthetic partner in a lichen?

Algae or cyanobacteria.

What does the fungus provide in a lichen?

Structure, protection, attachment, and help obtaining water/minerals.

What does the photosynthetic partner provide in a lichen?

Organic nutrients produced through photosynthesis.

What are algae?

Photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms commonly found in aquatic or moist environments.

Why are algae ecologically important?

They are major primary producers and contribute oxygen and organic matter.

What are protozoa?

Generally unicellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic organisms that are often motile.

What is a trophozoite?

The active, feeding, and usually reproducing stage of some protozoa.

What is a cyst?

A resistant protozoan stage that helps survival and transmission.

What is a vector?

An organism that transmits a pathogen between hosts.

What are slime molds?

Eukaryotic organisms that can form mobile or aggregated structures and feed on organic material.

What is cytoplasmic streaming?

Movement of cytoplasm that distributes materials throughout a cell.