Kingdom Fungi PDF

Introduction to Fungi What are fungi? The fungi are a group of organisms that have characteristics so distinctive that they are placed in their very own kingdom. They differ from other orga...

Introduction to Fungi What are fungi? The fungi are a group of organisms that have characteristics so distinctive that they are placed in their very own kingdom. They differ from other organisms in structure, in method of reproduction, and in methods of obtaining nutrients. Examples include: mushrooms puffballs mildews molds yeasts morels Characteristics of Fungi Fungi belong to the domain Eukarya. The cells composing a fungus are eukaryotic. Most fungi are multicellular. The yeasts are unicellular. yeasts  Fungi are heterotrophs They cannot… … make their own food by photosynthesis. They never contain … … chloroplasts or chlorophyll. Fungi do not have … …true roots, stems, or leaves. Plants have true roots, stems, and leaves. The fungi do not have true roots, stems, and leaves. These are rhizoids, not roots. Methods of Obtaining Food 1. Fungi get their nutrition by absorbing organic material from their environment. 2. The fungi secrete digestive enzymes into the food source, then absorb the dissolved substances through their cell walls.  Methods of Obtaining Food 3. The fungi digest food outside of their bodies, then absorb it. 4. Most fungi are saprophytic. This means that they live on the organic compounds that they absorb from dead plants and animals in the environment. The fungi play a very important role in the recycling of matter in the ecosystem.  Fungi play an essential role in nearly every DECOMPOSITION ecosystem by breaking down the bodies and wastes of other organisms. This promotes the recycling ________ of nutrients and essential chemicals. Without decomposition, these elements and compounds would be forever locked in the bodies of dead organisms.  Life on Earth DECOMPOSITION depends upon the chemical elements being returned to the ecosystem so that they may be used in the bodies of new organisms. If these materials were not returned, the soil would quickly be depleted, and Earth would become lifeless. Copyright © Amy Brown Science  Methods of Obtaining Food 5. A few fungi are parasites. Parasite: An organism that lives in or on another living Zombie fungus on insect organism. Corn Smut Host: The organism that the parasite lives upon. Examples of parasitic fungi include: Athlete’s foot Ringworm What type of environment do they prefer? 1. Since they do not contain chlorophyll, they do not have any light requirements. They thrive best in darkness. 2. They prefer a damp environment. 3. They prefer warmth but can survive in chilly conditions such as the inside of a refrigerator. Copyright © Amy Brown Science  The Structure of Fungi A. Except for the yeasts, all fungi are multicellular. B. Multicellular fungi are composed of thin filaments called _______. hyphae 1. Each hypha is only one cell thick. 2. Some fungi have cross walls called _____ septa that divide the hyphae into cells. The cell may contain one or two ______. nuclei 3. Other hyphae _________ lack septa and contain many __________. nuclei  The Structure of Fungi a. Septum (Septa) d. Nucleus b. Nucleus c. Cell wall c. Cell wall 4. The hyphae increase their length by cell division at the tips of the hyphae. When the hyphae encounter organic matter, they secrete digestive enzymes and absorb the digested nutrients.  Cell Walls of Fungi The fungi have a cell wall just as plants do, but it is composed of a different material than that found in plants. The cell walls of hyphae are composed of chitin, a type of carbohydrate. This polysaccharide also makes up the exoskeletons of insects and crustaceans. The presence of chitin in the cell wall is one factor that distinguishes the fungi from plants (plants have a cell wall composed of cellulose). The bodies of multicellular fungi are composed of many hyphae tangled together into a thick mass called a _______ mycelium _________. The mycelium has a large surface area making it well suited to absorption of food. Clusters of mushrooms are often part of the same mycelium. All fungi reproduce by producing spores. 1. Fungal spores are found in almost every environment. The output of spores is enormous - in the millions and billions per day! 2. Spores can be carried long distances by wind or water. 3. If the spores land in a warm, moist place where there is food, they germinate, producing new fungi. All fungi reproduce by producing spores. Spore production is a method of asexual reproduction. Fungi can also reproduce sexually.  Reproduction in Fungi Most fungi reproduce both sexually and asexually. Spore Production 1. Asexually, fungi can produce thousands of genetically identical spores. 2. Spores are asexual reproductive cells that are capable of growing into a new organism. 3. In favorable growing conditions, spores germinate and grow into new hyphae. 4. Spores are protected by a thick cell wall. 5. They are easily spread by wind. Reproduction in Fungi Fragmentation 1. Fragmentation is a method of asexual _______ reproduction that takes place when cells or hyphae … … break off from the fungus and begin to grow on their own. 2. The fungus that causes Athlete’s foot reproduces in ____________ this way. Reproduction in Fungi Budding 1. Budding is a type of asexual _______ reproduction found in the unicellular yeasts ______. 2. In budding, a part of a yeast cell pinches itself off to produce a small offspring cell. Reproduction in Fungi Sexual Reproduction Fungi are neither male nor female. They occur in mating types called “minus” and “plus.” The hyphae of the “plus” mating type fuse with the hyphae of the “minus” mating type.  Fungi that can reproduce both sexually and asexually have an adaptive advantage. asexual reproduction is that it is ________ 1. The advantage of _______ very fast and numbers of asexual spores produces enormous _______________________. sexual reproduction is that 2. The advantage of ______ different from the offspring are genetically ________ their parents. This increases the likelihood that some offspring will be ___________ better suited to new environmental conditions. The Kingdom Fungi has over 100,000 species. Fungi are classified according to their structure and their method of reproduction. There are four main groups of fungi: Phylum Zygomycota: The Common Molds Phylum Ascomycota: The Sac Fungi There are four main groups of fungi: Phylum Basidiomycota: The Club Fungi Phylum Deuteromycota: The Imperfect Fungi Phylum Zygomycota – The Common Molds The members of this phylum include the familiar molds that grow on … … bread, cheese, and other items in our refrigerators!  Phylum Ascomycota The Sac Fungi All of the fungi in this phylum are so named because they have a reproductive structure called an “ascus” or sac. An ascus contains sexually produced ascospores. (This is the largest phylum of fungi, containing 30,000 different species. ) The life cycle includes both sexual and asexual reproduction. Dead Man’s Fingers  YEASTS Yeasts are unicellular fungi that belong to the phylum Ascomycota. Yeasts are used in the baking and brewing industries. A package of yeast contains dry granules containing ascospores. These ascospores become active when placed in a moist environment.  Prior to baking, yeasts are mixed with a thick, YEASTS rich dough. This is an environment containing very little oxygen. Yeasts survive using the process of alcoholic fermentation. In fermentation, the sugar of the bread dough is converted to energy. Two waste products are produced, carbon dioxide and alcohol. The carbon dioxide gas makes beverages bubble and breads rise. The alcohol will evaporate during the baking process.  Phylum Basidiomycota The Club Fungi The members of the phylum _____________ are referred Basidiomycota to as “club fungi.” They get their name from a specialized reproductive structure that looks like a club. The spore producing structure is called a basidium ________. Basidia are found on the gills ____ that grow on the underside of mushroom caps ______________. Label the parts of the mushroom: a. Cap b. Gills c. Stalk d. Rhizoids e. Basidium f. Basidiospores  Phylum Deuteromycota The Imperfect A. Fungi Fungi are classified by the type of sexual reproduction they have. B. The Deuteromycota are fungi that cannot be placed in other phyla because researchers have never been able to observe a sexual phase in their life cycles. The Great Classification Debate! The genus Penicillium is the source of the antibiotic Penicillin. It reproduces asexually by producing conidiospores. Many scientists argue that this fungus belongs in the Phylum Ascomycota. Other scientists believe it has lost the sexual phase of its life cycle and belongs with the Deuteromycota. C. The term “imperfect fungi” does not mean that there’s anything wrong with the organism. It simply means that our understanding of the life cycle is “_________.” imperfect D. Whenever a mycologist discovers a sexual stage in one of these fungi, the species is moved from the imperfect category to a particular phylum, depending on the _________________ type of sexual structures. Most species of fungi that were formerly classified as “Fungi Imperfecti” or Deuteromycota are now classified as Phylum Ascomycota. Some scientists disagree and the debate continues…  Fungi in Industry A. Some fungi, such as Penicillium, are used to produce antibiotics. B. Some species of the genus Rhizopus are used to make cortisone. C. Yeasts are used to produce ethanol, a main ingredient in automobile fuels. D. Yeasts are used in the baking and brewing industries. E. Some mushrooms (Portabella and Shiitake), truffles, and morels are edible. F. Fungi are used to produce the citric acid in soft drinks. G. Fungi are used to produce Blue Cheese.