BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF FUNGI-STUDENTS-COPY.pdf

Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! Fungi are living and widely distributed on Earth  They diverged from common ancestor 1.5 BYA and fully colonised land 500 MYA  They are neither plants nor animals but share both characters  They have cell walls made of chitin and /or cellulose  They are un...

Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! Fungi are living and widely distributed on Earth  They diverged from common ancestor 1.5 BYA and fully colonised land 500 MYA  They are neither plants nor animals but share both characters  They have cell walls made of chitin and /or cellulose  They are unique separate life form with close relation to animals  Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! Millions of tons of fungal spores are dispersed in the atmosphere every year ! I trust you will all enjoy listening to Bup Oyesiku  “An Ecological Powerhouse” Bup 2024  Fungi are eukaryotic organisms with true nuclei and other organelles  They require water and oxygen (no obligate anaerobes!)  Fungi grow in diverse habitats, as long as organic matter is present  There are approximately 70,000 to 100,000 identified and described species  Fungi cell walls are composed of cellulose and/or chitin  Fungi exhibit indeterminate clonal growth  Fungi cell walls are composed of cellulose and/or chitin Mannoproteins Glucans Chitin Cell membrane Membrane proteins Fungi exhibit indeterminate clonal growth Unicellular: (yeasts or filamentous) (hyphae) Mycelium: Aggregate of hyphae Sclerotium: Hardened mass of mycelium Fruiting bodies (mushrooms) are composed of hyphae. Hyphae Mycelium Fruiting body Saprophytes: Feed on dead tissue or organic matter as decomposers Symbionts: Mutualistic relationships (Mycorrhizae with plant) Parasites: Feed on life tissue of animals and humans Feed on dead twig on the ground as decomposers Bup 2024 Mycorrhizae growing inside/outside of host roots to extend surface area and increase uptake of water and nutrients While Host roots in return provide the mycorrhizae with carbohydrate energy These fungi compete with the tree for nutrients, affecting its growth and overall health. Some fungi break down the tree’s living wood, leading to decay. This weakens the tree’s structure and makes it susceptible to insect damage or falling Bup 2024 Fungal mycelium can block the tree’s vascular tissues (xylem and phloem), slowing down water and nutrient transport Fungi release toxic compounds and enzymes that damage the tree’s cells and tissues Fungi like Armillaria (honey fungus) cause root rot, leading to root decay and reduced stability  Steps to recognise Parasitic Fungi  Look for fruiting bodies everywhere (mushroom and bracket fungi)  Check for discolouration in tree barks, dark sport, strange patterns  Examine base of trees for fungal growth-(white mycelial network) around the roots Steps to recognise Parasitic Fungi  Note decay signs (soft or crumbly wood near plant base or wound  Check for yellowing, wilting or juvenile leaf drop  Consult arborist or plant pathologist if uncertain Steps to recognise Poisonous Fungi  Caps: irregular or wrinkled  Gills: white, red, or free from stem  Spore colour: white, pink, or green prints  Stem: bulbs or rings on stem  Odour: foul (ammonia-like) Steps to recognise Edible Mushrooms  Gills colour: tan or brown  Cap and stem colour: white, tan or brown  Cap texture: smooth, no patches or scaling  Stem: absence of ring Remember, never eat a mushroom unless you’re 100% sure it’s edible. Division: Amastigomycota  Produce non-motile spores  Chitin cell walls Division: Chytridiomycota  Reproduce asexually by motile zoospores derived through mitosis  Single posterior set them apart from other fungi Division: Zygomycota  Produce elongated multiple haploid nuclei  Reproduce asexually by spore Division: Ascomycota  Reproduce sexually by a sac (Morels)  Reproduce asexually by spore (yeast) Division: Basidiomycota  Reproduce sexually by basidiospores on club-shaped cell-basidia  Mushroom and puffball Basidiospores Basidium Division: Deuteromycota: sexual reproduction unknown 1. Amastigomycota 2. Chytridiomycota (little pot) 3. Ascomycota (sac fungi): Cup fungi, morels, truffles. 4. Basidiomycota (club fungi): Mushrooms, polypores, puffballs. 5. Deuteromycota (Moulds) Non-motile spores Chitin cell walls Decompose organic materials  Bread mould Cause mortality of amphibians Chytrid Thalli Truffles mushroom Yeasts Morels  Puffball Mushroom Polypores  Members not similar or related (polyphyletic = from different ancestors)  Aspergillus mould