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Questions and Answers
What is the characteristic of fungal cell walls?
Which of the following is a characteristic of microscopic fungi?
What is the term for the entangled mass of hyphae?
What is the primary growth form of multicellular fungi?
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What is the term for the type of hyphae that are continuous or branching filaments filled with cytoplasm and multiple nuclei?
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What is the function of the septa in septate hyphae?
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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of fungi?
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What is the term for the study of fungi?
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Which of the following products benefits from fungal activity?
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What is the primary source of the antibiotic Penicillin?
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Which fungus is used to control nematodes in the soil?
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What is the main cause of crop diseases?
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What is the result of fungal diseases in crops if left untreated?
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Which of the following is an example of a human fungal infection?
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What is the result of fungal spoilage on food?
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Which of the following is an example of a fungus used in biological control of pests?
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What is the result of the fusion of haploid nuclei of compatible hyphae?
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What is the characteristic feature of the Chytridiomycota group?
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What is the characteristic feature of the Zygomycota group?
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What is the characteristic feature of the Ascomycota group?
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What is the characteristic feature of the Basidiomycota group?
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What is the common name for Rhizopus and Mucor species?
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Which group of fungi includes yeasts and food spoilage moulds?
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What is the term for the structure in which basidiospores are produced in Basidiomycota?
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What is the main function of vegetative hyphae?
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Which of the following is an example of parasitism?
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What is the term for the association between fungi and the roots of higher plants?
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What is the result of continued growth and branching of a hypha?
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Which of the following is a mode of reproduction in fungi?
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What is the term for the outgrowth that develops from a spore?
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Where can fungi be found?
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What is the term for aerial hyphae that produce asexual spores?
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What is the location of the basidium in a mushroom?
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Which of the following is an example of a toadstool?
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What is the primary role of fungi in the ecosystem?
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What is the term for the symbiotic association between fungi and plant roots?
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What is the role of mycorrhizal fungi in plant growth?
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What is the primary use of fungi in the food industry?
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What is a characteristic of truffle mushrooms?
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What is the economic importance of fungi in agriculture?
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Study Notes
Fungal Diversity
- Fungi do not belong to the plant kingdom and were originally classified with photosynthetic plants, but later grouped with algae and protozoa (protista) and eventually placed in the Kingdom Mycota.
- Fungi lack chlorophyll and their cell walls contain chitin, mannan, and β-glucans, which is a characteristic of some animal cells.
- Cellulose is generally absent from the cell walls of true fungi.
Structural Forms
- Fungi can exist as unicellular (single-celled and colonial – yeasts) or multicellular forms with several different cell types.
- Multicellular fungi are primarily filamentous in their growth form, consisting of long, slender filaments (hyphae) that form an entangled mass called mycelium.
Morphological Features of Hyphae
- Hyphae can be classified into two types based on their structure: • Aseptate (coenocytic) hyphae: continuous or branching filaments filled with cytoplasm and multiple nuclei. • Septate hyphae: long chains of cells joined end-to-end and divided by cross-walls (septa) with pores.
Hyphae Classification Based on Function
- Hyphae can be classified into three types based on their function: • Vegetative hyphae: grow as submerged or surface filaments that digest, absorb, and distribute nutrients obtained from the substrate to other parts for growth and development. • Aerial hyphae: project above the surface in culture medium. • Reproductive (fertile) hyphae: produce asexual spores on the surface of the substrate.
Nutrition
- Fungi acquire nutrients by three means: • Parasitism: obtaining nutrients from another living organism. • Saprophytism: absorbing nutrients from dead organic matter. • Symbiotic associations: exchanging nutrients with other organisms, especially roots of higher plants.
Habitat
- Fungi occur in both terrestrial and aquatic environments, including freshwater and marine ecosystems.
Reproduction
- Fungi reproduce in three ways: • Sexual reproduction: forming sexual spores. • Asexual reproduction: forming conidia or asexual spores. • Vegetative reproduction: budding, as seen in yeast.
Life Cycle
- Both sexual and asexual reproduction occur in fungi.
- During asexual life cycle, spores settle on a substrate, develop an outgrowth known as a germ tube, and then elongate into a hypha.
- During sexual life cycle, haploid nuclei of compatible hyphae fuse to form a diploid nucleus, which then participates in sexual spore development through meiosis.
Fungal Classification
- The four major groups of fungi are: • Chytridiomycota: characterized by motile spores (zoospores), commonly called chytrids. • Zygomycota: characterized by the production of non-motile spores, with a coenocytic mycelial organization. • Ascomycota: characterized by the production of sexually produced spores (ascospores) contained within a sac (ascus). • Basidiomycota: characterized by the production of basidiospores in a structure called a basidium.
Economic Importance of Fungi
- Fungi play a crucial role in recycling nutrients and maintaining soil fertility.
- Fungi form symbiotic associations with plant roots, enhancing plant growth and development.
- Fungi are used as food, either directly or indirectly in the food and beverage industry.
- Fungi produce antibiotics used medicinally to control diseases.
- Fungi are used in biocontrol of soil-borne pathogens.
- Fungi can cause crop diseases, animal diseases, and spoilage of food and goods.
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Description
Learn about the characteristics of fungi, their classification, and structural forms. Discover the unique features of fungal cell walls and how they differ from plants and animals.
