lect 5 part 2

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms, characteristics, and life cycle components for the major fungal phyla: Chytridiomycota, Zygomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Deuteromycota, based on the provided lecture notes.

Chytridiomycota (Chytrids)

A phylum of aquatic fungi characterized by flagellated spores; considered a possible ancestor of terrestrial multicellular fungi.

Flagellated spores

Motile spores with flagella, a key reproductive feature of Chytridiomycota.

Chytridiomycosis

A disease in amphibians caused by the aquatic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), leading to severe decline or extinction of frog and salamander species.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd)

The aquatic fungus responsible for Chytridiomycosis, which infects and thickens amphibian skin, causing electrolyte imbalances and heart failure.

Zygomycota (Zygote fungi)

A phylum of mostly terrestrial fungi characterized by resistant zygosporangia as their sexual stage and coenocytic hyphae.

Coenocytic hyphae

Hyphae with few or no septa, meaning they lack cross-walls between nuclei, characteristic of Zygomycota.

Rhizopus

A representative genus of Zygomycota, commonly known as black bread mold.

Zygosporangium

A resistant, heterokaryotic structure formed during sexual reproduction in Zygomycota, which later undergoes karyogamy and meiosis to produce spores.

Sporangium (Zygomycota)

A structure that produces haploid spores during asexual reproduction in Zygomycota.

Plasmogamy

The fusion of the cytoplasm of two parent mycelia in fungal sexual reproduction, preceding Karyogamy.

Karyogamy

The fusion of haploid nuclei from two parent cells (mycelia) to form a diploid zygote nucleus in fungal sexual reproduction.

Haploid (n)

Describes cells or organisms having a single set of chromosomes.

Heterokaryotic (n + n)

Describes a condition in fungal hyphae where genetically different haploid nuclei from two parents coexist in the same cytoplasm before fusion.

Diploid (2n)

Describes cells or organisms having two sets of chromosomes.

Ascomycota (Sac fungi)

The most diverse phylum of fungi, found in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments; characterized by sexual spores borne internally in sacs called asci.

Septate hyphae (Ascomycota)

Hyphae with perforations in their septa (cross-walls), allowing for cytoplasmic streaming and nutrient transport.

Ascus (spore sac)

The sac-like spore-producing structure of ascomycetes, typically containing eight ascospores.

Ascocarp

The fruiting body of an ascomycete, which typically contains numerous asci.

Conidia

Asexual spores produced externally by Ascomycota on specialized hyphae called conidiophores.

Conidiophore

A specialized fungal hypha that bears conidia.

Yeast

Unicellular fungi, many of which belong to the Ascomycota phylum, that reproduce asexually by budding.

Penicillium

A genus of Ascomycota known for producing antibiotics and contributing to food spoilage (e.g., mold on oranges).

Aspergillus

A genus of Ascomycota often found in stored foods like peanuts, some species can produce toxins.

Stachybotrys chartarum

A type of indoor black mold belonging to Ascomycota that can produce mycotoxins.

Ascospores

Haploid sexual spores produced within the ascus of Ascomycota after meiosis.

Budding (yeast)

A form of asexual reproduction in yeast where a new organism develops from an outgrowth or bud due to cell division.

Hypha fragmentation

A method of asexual reproduction in some fungi where pieces of hyphae break off and grow into new mycelia.

Basidiomycota (Club fungi)

A phylum of fungi including mushrooms, shelf fungi, puffballs, and rusts; major decomposers of wood, characterized by sexual spores borne externally on club-shaped structures called basidia.

Basidium

The club-shaped, spore-producing structure of basidiomycetes, typically bearing four basidiospores externally.

Basidiocarp

The elaborate fruiting body of a basidiomycete, such as a mushroom, composed of dikaryotic mycelia and containing basidia.

Dikaryotic mycelium

A mycelium in Basidiomycota and Ascomycota characterized by having two genetically distinct haploid nuclei (n+n) in each cell.

Basidiospores

Haploid sexual spores produced externally on the basidium of Basidiomycota.

Syngamy

The complete fusion of gametes to form a zygote, often referring to the combined process of plasmogamy and karyogamy in fungi.

Deuteromycota ('Imperfect fungi')

A former informal grouping for fungi where sexual reproduction is either unknown or absent; they reproduce asexually through conidia.

Ringworm (Tinea corporis)

A common superficial fungal infection of the skin, caused by certain 'imperfect fungi' (dermatophytes).

Athlete's foot (Tinea pedis)

A common fungal infection of the feet, caused by certain 'imperfect fungi' (dermatophytes).

Hyphae

Thread-like filaments that make up the body (mycelium) of most fungi.

Mycelium

The entire interwoven mass of hyphae that constitutes the vegetative body of a fungus.