chapter 25

What is the primary component of fungal cell walls?

Polysaccharide chitin

What are unicellular fungi commonly known as?

Yeasts

What structure do multicellular fungi produce?

Hyphae

What are the two types of hyphae?

Coenocytic hyphae and septate hyphae

What is mycelium?

A network of hyphae that increases surface area for nutrient uptake

How do fungi obtain nutrients?

They are heterotrophs, mostly saprobes, some are parasitic

What is fragmentation in fungi?

A form of asexual reproduction where a new organism grows from a fragment of hyphae

What is plasmogamy in fungal reproduction?

The fusion of cytoplasms of two mating types of haploid hyphae

What is karyogamy?

The fusion of nuclei in a dikaryotic cell to form a diploid nucleus

What are the five major phyla of fungi?

Chytridiomycota, Zygomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Glomeromycota

What is a characteristic of Chytridiomycota?

They are mostly unicellular and have flagella on spores

What type of spores do Zygomycota form during sexual reproduction?

Zygospores

What is an ascocarp?

A sac/cup-like structure formed by dikaryotic cells in Ascomycota

What is the dominant structure in Basidiomycota?

Secondary mycelium

What is the role of mycorrhizae in plant-fungi symbiosis?

Fungi absorb water and nutrients for the plant, while the plant provides sugars

What are the two types of mycorrhizae?

Endomycorrhizae and ectomycorrhizae

What is the relationship between algae and fungi in lichens?

Algae provide sugars from photosynthesis, and fungi protect the algae

What is the significance of bryophytes?

They are the earliest land plants with a prominent gametophyte

What is a key characteristic of tracheophytes?

They have a vascular system for transporting water and nutrients

What are the two major groups of seedless vascular plants?

Lycophytes and pterophytes

What are fiddleheads in ferns?

Young leaves that unfurl as they grow

What is the life cycle of land plants characterized by?

A haplodiplontic life cycle involving gametophyte and sporophyte generations

How do bryophytes reproduce?

Sperm swim using flagella to reach eggs in wet environments

What is the role of lignin in vascular plants?

It enhances the strength of cell walls

What is the function of rhizoids in bryophytes?

They anchor the plant to the ground

What is the significance of gametophytes in bryophytes?

They are the visible, prominent form of the plant

What is the main challenge for plants living on land?

Preventing desiccation and transporting water

What is the primary mode of reproduction for Glomeromycota?

Asexual reproduction only