Kingdom: Fungi

Kingdom: Fungi

^^CHARACTERISTICS^^ \n • Fungi are essential decomposers \n • They are found everywhere and affect ecosystems by feeding on living and dead organic material \n • They are heterotrophs that digest food externally. \n • They are Eukaryotic organisms \n • They are non-vascular, with no roots, stems, or leaves \n • Possess chitin in the cell wall. (The same material arthropods possess in their exoskeleton \n • They do not photosynthesize, no chloroplast \n • They are Heterotrophic: \n • Saprotrophs - decomposers \n • Parasitic – attack living tissue \n • Fungi form symbiotic relationships with cyanobacteria or algae to form lichens \n • They are Unicellular (yeast) or multicellular
%%STRUCTURE%% \n • Thallus (body) of fungi is multicellular, called mycelium \n • Mycelia consist of threads called hyphae \n • The hyphae of fungi are septate and non-septate \n • Nonseptate hyphae: many nuclei in the cytoplasm \n • Septate- hyphae are divided into cells \n • Cell walls of fungi consist of chitin (also in the exoskeleton of arthropods) \n • Fungi store energy as glycogen same as in animals \n • Terrestrial fungi have no flagellated cells \n • Growing hyphae can cover a km in a day
Phylum Zygomycota/ Zygomycetes \n • They are saprotrophic; live on plant and animal remains in soil; some are parasites \n • Example is Rhizopus stolonifera (bread mold) \n • They have different types of hyphae– \n Stolon’s: horizontal hyphae on the surface of the bread– Rhizoids hyphae that grow into bread– \n Sporangiophores: Aerial hyphae that bear sporangia. The sporangium produces spores’ \n • The zygospore is seen during sexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction takes place in unfavorable conditions.

^^CHARACTERISTICS^^ \n • Fungi are essential decomposers \n • They are found everywhere and affect ecosystems by feeding on living and dead organic material \n • They are heterotrophs that digest food externally. \n • They are Eukaryotic organisms \n • They are non-vascular, with no roots, stems, or leaves \n • Possess chitin in the cell wall. (The same material arthropods possess in their exoskeleton \n • They do not photosynthesize, no chloroplast \n • They are Heterotrophic: \n • Saprotrophs - decomposers \n • Parasitic – attack living tissue \n • Fungi form symbiotic relationships with cyanobacteria or algae to form lichens \n • They are Unicellular (yeast) or multicellular

%%STRUCTURE%% \n • Thallus (body) of fungi is multicellular, called mycelium \n • Mycelia consist of threads called hyphae \n • The hyphae of fungi are septate and non-septate \n • Nonseptate hyphae: many nuclei in the cytoplasm \n • Septate- hyphae are divided into cells \n • Cell walls of fungi consist of chitin (also in the exoskeleton of arthropods) \n • Fungi store energy as glycogen same as in animals \n • Terrestrial fungi have no flagellated cells \n • Growing hyphae can cover a km in a day

Phylum Zygomycota/ Zygomycetes \n • They are saprotrophic; live on plant and animal remains in soil; some are parasites \n • Example is *Rhizopus stolonifera (bread mold) \n *• They have different types of hyphae– \n Stolon’s: horizontal hyphae on the surface of the bread– Rhizoids hyphae that grow into bread– \n Sporangiophores: Aerial hyphae that bear sporangia. The sporangium produces spores’ \n • The zygospore is seen during sexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction takes place in unfavorable conditions.

Phylum: Chytridiomycota/ Chytridiomycetes \n • This is the most primitive group of fungi. \n • ~ 790 spp. – They possess a simple structure and possibly resemble ancestral fungi.• Live in aquatic or damp habitats \n • Possess flagellated cells. \n • Gametes and spores (zoospores) are flagellated. They are the only group of fungi with flagellated cells. \n • The presence of zoospores places fungi in Supergroup Opisthokonts \n • They are either saprotrophs or parasites.
@@Phylum: Ascomycota/Ascomycetes@@ \n • They are also called sac fungi \n • Two major forms: sexual and asexual sac fungi \n • Yeasts (Saccharomyces) reproduce asexually through budding (brewer’s yeast) or sexually to form ascospores (n) in asci \n • Yeasts are used for fermentation and produce ethanol and CO2, it is used in the baking and brewing industry, as well as in genetic engineering \n •Candida albicans:vaginal infections, oral thrush \n • Red bread molds, truffles, and morels are all sexual sac fungi
Phylum: Ascomycota• Asexual sac fungi previously placed in Phylum: Deuteromycota – imperfect fungi• Either highly beneficial or (significantly) detrimental to human health• Penicillium sp. was renamed Talaromyces sp.- Penicillin antibiotic is derived from this• Aspergillus sp.- used for soy sauce production;• A. flavus secretes aflatoxin on moist seeds– the most potent natural carcinogen• Black mold – Stachybotrys chartarum causes a sick-building syndrome• Diseases – ergotism (poisoning caused by eating food infected by ergot fungi, resulting in headache, vomiting, diarrhea, and gangrene of the fingers and toes)., Ringworm, athlete’s foot, and thrush are all diseases caused by molds or sac fungi
==Phylum Basidiomycota/Basidiomycetes== \n • Basidiomycota Includes mushrooms, bracket fungi, and puffballs. \n • Some are edible and others are deadly poisonous. Some are hallucinogenic \n • They are also called club fungi \n • Smuts and rusts are club fungi, that don’t form a basidiocarp \n • Smuts and rust parasitize corn, wheat, etc. \n • It causes crop losses• They have Septate hyphae
==Lichens== \n • Symbiotic relation between fungus and alga or cyanobacterium \n • Three forms of lichens – crustose, foliose, or fruticose \n • Good indicator of air quality. More lichen growth in areas with low air pollution. \n • Lichens secrete acids that break down rock. This contributes to the soil-building process.