Fungi Kingdom

Characteristics of Fungi:

• Cell walls made of chitin
• Eukaryotic
• Most multicellular (some like yeast, unicellular)
• Heterotrophs
• Reproduce using spores
• Bodies made of hyphae
• Extracellular digestion and absorption of nutrients

Hyphae:

• Thread-like filaments that make up multicellular fungus
• Begin growth when spore germinates
  • The new cell will form a strand of hyphae, complete with a new nucleus and organelles
  • Firm, the cell wall is made of chitin
  • Segmented in some fungi- separation called the septum
• Can grow upward and outward
  • outward growth resembles branches of a tree and is known as mycelium (have a huge SA)

How Fungi feed:

• use extracellular digestion
• Hyphal tips release enzymes
  • enzymes break down food
  • products diffuse back into hyphae

How vs Plants:

• Both contain cell walls
  • plant cells are made of cellulose and fungi cell walls are made of chitin
• Fungi are heterotrophic and plants are autotrophic
• Plants have vascular tissue and fungi are not vascular
• Mycelium, not roots

Fungi and the Ecosystem

• Mutualistic associations with photosynthetic organisms in which both partners benefit
  • Mycorrhizae- mutualistic relationships between fungus + plant roots
  • Essential for plant growth
  • Fungi hyphae collect water/minerals and bring them to the roots, also release enzymes that free nutrients in the soil
  • Plants provide fungi w/ the products of photosynthesis (oxygen/sugar)
• Decomposition:
  • release digestive enzymes in the environments which break down organic material into simple molecules which an b used by other organisms

Fungi and the Importance to Humans

• Food Industry: cheese, bread, soy sauce
• Alcoholic beverages
• Antibiotics

Pathogenic Fungi

• Athletes’ foot, Ringworm, Vaginal yeast infections, pathogenic fungi that infects, plants, insects