(PART 3) ASEXUAL & SEXUAL SPORES

Asexual Spores

Are produced by mitosis and cell division without nuclear fusion.

Conidiospore
Sporangiospore

Two types of asexual spores:

Conidiospore (Conidium)

- A unicellular or multicellular spore that is not enclosed in a sac.
- Produced in a chain at the end of a conidiophore.

Penicillium
Aspergillus

Examples of Conidiospore (Conidium)

Arthroconidia
Blastoconidia
Chlamydoconidium

TYPES OF CONIDIA

Arthroconidia

TYPES OF CONIDIA
Formed by the fragmentation of septate hypha into single, slightly thickened cells.

Coccidioides immitis

Example of Arthroconidia

Blastoconidia

TYPES OF CONIDIA
Formed from the buds of its parent cell.

Candida albicans
Cryptococcus

Example of Blastoconidia

Chlamydoconidium

TYPES OF CONIDIA
A thick-walled spore formed by rounding and enlargement within a hyphal segment.

Candida albicans

Example of Chlamydoconidium

Sporangiospore

- Formed within a sporangium (sac) at the end of an aerial hypha called a sporangiophore.
- A single sporangium can contain hundreds of sporangiospores.

Rhizopus

Example of Sporangiospore

1. Plasmogamy: A haploid nucleus from a donor cell (+) penetrates the cytoplasm of a recipient cell (-).

2. Karyogamy: The (+) and (-) nuclei fuse, forming a diploid zygote nucleus.

Meiosis: The diploid nucleus undergoes meiosis, producing haploid nuclei (sexual spores), which may include genetic recombinants

Sexual spores result from sexual reproduction, which involves three phases:

Plasmogamy

SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
A haploid nucleus from a donor cell (+) penetrates the cytoplasm of a recipient cell (-).

Karyogamy

SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
The (+) and (-) nuclei fuse, forming a diploid zygote nucleus.

Meiosis

SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
The diploid nucleus undergoes meiosis, producing haploid nuclei (sexual spores), which may include genetic recombinants.

Phyla

The type of sexual spores characterizes the fungal?

TRUE

TRUE OR FALSE
In clinical settings, asexual spores are primarily identified using microscopic examination, as most fungi display only asexual spores in lab conditions.

Chemoheterotrophs

Fungi absorb nutrients rather than ingesting them like animals.

FALSE

TRUE OR FALSE
Fungi is the same from bacteria in their environmental requirements and nutritional characteristics.

5

Fungi grow better in environments with a pH of about?
(which is too acidic for most common bacteria)

Molds

Mostly aerobic.

Yeasts

Mostly facultative anaerobes.

osmotic pressure

Fungi are more resistant to _______________ than bacteria, allowing growth in high sugar or salt concentrations

low moisture content

Fungi can grow on substances with ________________, conditions that are generally unsuitable for bacterial growth.

less nitrogen

Fungi require _______________ than bacteria for the same amount of growth.

carbohydrates

Fungi can metabolize complex __________ (e.g., lignin, a component of wood) that most bacteria cannot use for nutrients.

- Bathroom walls
- Shoe leather
- Discarded newspapers

Due to their nutritional adaptability, fungi can grow on unlikely substrates such as: