Lab 7 – The Kingdom Fungi

Flashcards covering key concepts and vocabulary from Lab 7 on the Kingdom Fungi.

Fungi

Distinctive kingdom of eukaryotic organisms that obtain food through absorption.

Saprophytes

Fungi that feed on dead organic matter.

Parasites

Fungi that feed on living organisms.

Hyphae

Slender filaments of cytoplasm and nuclei enclosed by a cell wall, making up the structure of fungi.

Septa

Crosswalls present in some fungal hyphae that separate cytoplasm and nuclei into distinct cells.

Coenocytic

Hyphae that lack septa and are multinucleate.

Chitin

The primary component of fungal cell walls, similar to the exoskeleton of insects.

Mycelium

A mass of hyphae that constitutes the body of a fungus.

Spores

Microscopic vegetative cells produced by fungi for asexual reproduction.

Budding

A form of asexual reproduction in fungi, where a smaller cell forms from a larger cell.

Plasmogamy

The fusion of cytoplasm from two fungal mycelia during sexual reproduction.

Heterokaryon

A mycelium containing genetically different nuclei coexisting from different parents.

Karyogamy

The fusion of haploid nuclei during sexual reproduction in fungi, resulting in diploid cells.

Meiosis

The process that restores the haploid condition after karyogamy and leads to the formation of spores.

Chytridiomycota

Phylum of fungi characterized by motile spores with flagella.

Zoopagomycota

Phylum of fungi known for their resistant zygosporangium during sexual reproduction.

Glomeromycota

Phylum of fungi that forms arbuscular mycorrhizal associations with plant roots.

Ascomycota

Phylum of fungi that produce sexual spores internally in sac-like structures called asci.

Basidiomycota

Phylum of fungi that produce sexual spores externally on club-shaped structures called basidia.

Lichens

Symbiotic organisms formed from fungi and photosynthetic algae or cyanobacteria.

Crustose

A growth form of lichens that is flat and grows closely to a hard substrate.

Foliose

A growth form of lichens that adheres to a substrate but may peel and fold away.

Fruticose

A three-dimensional growth form of lichens that often has erect stalks.

Ascus

The sac-like structure where sexual spores are produced in ascomycetes.