Characteristics of Fungi

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to the characteristics and biology of fungi, based on the lecture notes.

Fungi

A kingdom of organisms that are eukaryotic, heterotrophic, and distinct from plants.

Eukaryotic

Organisms whose cells have a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that cannot produce their own food and obtain nutrients from organic matter.

Mycelium

A netlike mass formed by the branching of hyphae, often found underground.

Hyphae

Tubelike filaments that make up the bodies of fungi.

Chitin

A polysaccharide that forms the cell walls of fungi.

Septa

Cross-walls that divide hyphae into cells, allowing materials to flow between them.

Saprophytic fungi

Fungi that obtain nutrients by decomposing dead organisms and recycling nutrients.

Yeast

A type of unicellular fungus used in the production of bread and beer.

Asexual reproduction

A reproduction process that does not involve the fusion of gametes, as seen in budding and fragmentation.

Spores

Reproductive cells with a hard outer coat, used in both sexual and asexual reproduction of fungi.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit, as in fungi that help plants absorb minerals while getting sugar in return.

Parasitic fungus

A fungus that absorbs nutrients from a living host.

Fruiting body

The above-ground part of a fungus that is involved in reproduction.

Sporangium

A sac or case in some fungi where spores are produced and protected.

Zygomycetes

A phylum of fungi characterized by the formation of a resistant zygosporangium during sexual reproduction; includes bread molds.

Ascomycetes

A phylum of fungi commonly known as sac fungi, which produce sexual spores (ascospores) inside a sac-like structure called an ascus (e.g., yeasts, morels, truffles).

Basidiomycetes

A phylum of fungi commonly known as club fungi, which produce sexual spores (basidiospores) on club-shaped structures called basidia (e.g., mushrooms, puffballs, shelf fungi).

Deuteromycetes (Imperfect fungi)

A former artificial group of fungi where sexual reproduction has not been observed or is not known to occur in their life cycle.

Mycosis

A disease caused by a fungal infection in humans or animals.

Lichen

A symbiotic association between a fungus (mycobiont) and a photosynthetic partner (photobiont, usually an alga or cyanobacterium).

Mycorrhizae

A mutualistic symbiotic association between a fungus (mycobiont) and the roots of a vascular plant, enhancing water and nutrient uptake for the plant in exchange for carbohydrates.

Budding

A form of asexual reproduction in which a new cell grows out of the body of a parent cell, common in yeast.

Conidia

Asexual, non-motile spores of a fungus, typically produced exogenously on the tips of specialized hyphae called conidiophores, not enclosed within a sporangium.

Ascus

A specialized sac-like spore-producing structure found in Ascomycetes, containing ascospores.