Fungi

Question 1

What are the characteristics of fungi?

Answer 1

Single or multicellular, use spores for reproduction, reproductive structure above ground, body hidden underground, made of filaments called mycelium (branches), each filament is known as hyphae (long tubes of cytoplasm and nuclei), cell walls of hyphae made of chitin

Question 2

What is septa?

Answer 2

The cell wall that separates hyphae (singular is septum), septa’s contain large pores which allow cytoplasm to be continuous throughout, allows nutrients to move quickly throughout hyphae.

Question 3

How are fungi and plants different?

Answer 3

1. Fungi lack chlorophyll and aren’t photosynthetic
2. Fungi reproduce by spores not seeds
   3.cell walls are made of chitin, not cellulose

Question 4

Describe fungi’s nutrition

Answer 4

• they r all heterotrophic
• most are saprophytes (digest dead organisms eg decomposers)
• some are symbiotic and obtain food from the living
  -they digest their food outside their body
  -secrete enzymes which break down organic materials and absorb nutrients thro hyphae
  
  • store energy in the form of glycogen

Question 5

What are the 3 classifications of fungi based off SHAPE?

Answer 5

1. Sac (ascomycota)
2. Case (zygomycota)
3. Club (basidiomycota)

Question 6

Name the 5 phylum of fungi and describe them

Answer 6

1 Chytridiomycota: oldest, hv spores w flagella to swim in water, infects amphibians and cases death, eg water mold

2.zygomycota: case, common molds, grow where food and water is eg bread, reproduce sexually and asexually.

3. Ascomycota: sac, multi and uni cellular, infects plants/animals causing yeast infections, sexual and asexual, eg yeast and truffles
4. Basidiomycota: club, mostly multi cellular, important decimposers eg mushrooms
5. Mycophycophyta: lichens, fungus and photsyenthic, symbiotic/mutualistic relationships

Question 7

Describe asexual and sexual reproduction of fungi

Answer 7

Asexual: mycelium (mature fungus) creates haploid spores through mitosis, spores are released, spores germinate and create new mycelium which is genetically identical to original.

Sexual: mycelium contain haploid nuclei, mycelium if 2 genetically diff fungi fuse, creates cell w 2 nuclei, 2 nuclei fuse inside cell and become diploid zygote, thro meiosis zygote becomes fruiting body, spores are released and create genetically diff mycelium