Eukaryotes

Types of Fungi

• Yeasts: Single-celled
• Molds: Filamentous, spore forming
• Mushroom/fruiting fungi: Filamentous,
fruiting bodies, spores

Fungi found in

primarily found in soil

Ubiquitous

Fungi Primary role:

Decomposers

fungi can be ____ to plants

pathogenic

Fungal Structure

Fungi contain membrane-bound organelles

Fungal membranes are complex

Fungal cell walls
- Multilayered structures composed of chitin

Molds

Filamentous fungi found in many fungal phyla

Important for decomposition

Spores can be asexual or sexua

Mold cells are called

Cells are called hypha, grow in mass to
form hyphae or mycelia

Mushrooms

Filamentous fungi that form large fruiting bodies
• Fruiting bodies are formed from the combination of aerial hyphae
• Main purpose of fruiting body is to disperse sexual basidiospores

Important for decomposition

Yeasts

Unicellular fungi capable of fermentation
under anaerobic conditions

Do not form spores
Mostly asexual reproduction via budding

Fungi excrete exoenzymes to

break down complex polymers for use

ex: degrade hydrocarbons, degrades PVC
containing plastics

Mycorrhizae

Fungal symbionts with plants’
• Trade nutrients (mainly P) and water to the plant for carbon
• Can help alleviate many plant stressors – drought, toxins

Ectomycorrhiza

Fungi that cover the surface of plant roots and penetrate the root but NOT the cortex cells
• Rely on plant exudation for their “trading”
• Form “Y” shaped structures with plant root

Endomycorrhiza

• Penetrate root cells and form arbuscules to facilitate trading mineral nutrients to the plant
for sugars
• Can facilitate plants trading nutrients to each other resulting in multi-layered symbiosis

Slime Molds

The most photogenic fungi
Capable of motility
Saprophytes

Protozoa

Most commonly observed in freshwater and marine habitats

Brain-eating amoeba

Some release extracellular enzyme to degrade polymers (cellulose)

Most are chemohetrotrophic
• Aerobic respiration or fermentation
• Some are saprotrophic or photosynthetic

algae

Photosynthetic organisms that contain chlorophyll a
Range from single cells to complex multicellular organisms

Most are photoautotrophic

ex. plankton

algae reproduce

both sexually and asexually, some produce spore

Biological Soil Crusts Composed of

fungi, lichens, cyanobacteria, bryophytes, and
algae
Live on soil surface in arid environments

Keep soil in place, store water and carbon, photosynthesize, fix nitrogen, decrease albedo

Viruses

Obligate parasites that have no metabolic capacity and rely on host metabolism to produce viral parts that self-assemble