Fungi and lichens

The Fungi KingdomMycolog

y -the study of fungi

fungi - singularfungus - plural

1) fungi are eukaryotic•they have a nuclei & mitochondria2) they are heterotrophs

•they depend on other organisms for food3) they are multicellular

4) they cannot move on their own

4 Main Characteristics of Fungi

The Fungi Kingdom

1) fungi lack chlorophyll2) fungi are not photosynthetic

•cannot produce their own food

3) they never reproduce by seeds4) most fungi have cell walls made of chitin…

4 Reasons Fungi Are Different From Plants

cellulose•Plant cell walls are made of what?

•most are saprophytes•some are parasites

Saprophyte-feeds on dead/decaying organisms

The Fungi KingdomParts of fungi:

Hyphae - network of thin thread-like structures that form the “body” of a fungus

• hyphae grow and branch until they cover and digest the food source (upon which the fungi is growing)

• hyphae contain cytoplasm

hypha - singularhyphae - plural

The Fungi KingdomParts of fungi:

Mycelium - a mass of hyphaemycelia - plural

•The mycelium is usually hidden in the soil, in wood, or another food source

•A mycelium may fill a single ant, or cover many acres

The Fungi Kingdom

Sporangium fungi reproduces by spores in the sporangia

•Sporangia- structures found on the tips of hyphae that make spores

•Eg: Bread Mold,Peronospore•Bread mold produces spores in sporangia that stick up above the bread

Main Types of Fungi:1.Zygomycota/Common molds

Spraying with blue vitriol

The Fungi Kingdom

2. Sac Fungi - produce spores in sac-like structures

Eg: yeasts,cup fungi,powdery mildews,Penicillinum

Types of Fungi

2. Sac fungi (Ascomycotes)Unicellular,

reproduces by budding

Sir Alexander Flemming-penicillin

Ergot

Morels

3. Phylum Basidiomycota – Club Fungi• Gets name from specialized reproduction structure resembling a club,

called basidium – found on the underside of mushroom cap in the gills• One mushroom may produce 1 billion spores• Some are edible, some are toxic• Examples: Mushrooms, toadstools• Most elaborate life cycle of all the fungi

button

/or cup

The Fungi KingdomWhat are we looking at when we

see a… fungus-among-us?

The ‘living’ body of the fungus is a mycelium

The part of the fungus that we see is only the “fruit” of the organism

The Fungi Kingdom•the structure of the fungi that you can see,

is the part that carries out reproduction•most fungi reproduce by using spores

Reproduction is classified according to:

•fungi spores are microscopicEX: Mushrooms & puffballs release large clouds of spores. Each cloud contains millions of spores

Fungi Reproduction:

1) the way they form the spores2) the shape of the structure in which spores are made

3. Club fungi (Basidiomycetes)

Earth stars Brackets

Puffballs

Jack-o’-lantern

3. Club fungi (Basidiomycetes)

Toadstool

Eg: Death capChampignon

Importance of fungi

-many of them live in mutualism with the roots of trees.They can substitute root hairs as in the case of pine trees.-they can be decomposers

-they can cause diseases to plants, to animals or even humans-they can be edible or poisonous-they can be useful for alimentary,distilling and pharmaceuticalindustry

Lichens

* Lichens are dual organisms, so they are difficult to place in a classification* They represent symbiotic (mutualistic) relationships between fungi and green algae, fungi and cyanobacteria, or fungi and both* The fungus is the dominant physical component of the lichen thallus, and lichens are usually classified with the fungi* Nevertheless, the association appears to have originated through fungi parasitizing algae and/or cyanobacteria

Where do lichens belong in the classification of living organisms?

Human Uses of Lichens•Brown, purple and red fabric dyes (e.g. Scottish tweeds and tartans)* Part of the daily diet, e.g. Lecanora esculenta (“manna”?) in Iran, flour from Cetraria islandica (Iceland moss) in Scandinavian ship’s biscuits, Inuit “nirukkaq” - partly digested lichens from caribou & muskox stomachs in winter* Commercial production of sugar in Russia, WWII* ‘Iwatake (Umbilicaria esculanta) as delicacy in Japan•More uses of lichens - medicine, embalming and perfumery Many lichen extracts are inhibitory to the growth of Gram-positive bacteria* Some are also effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosus

* Oakmoss (Evernia prunastri) and Treemoss (Pseudoevernia furfuracea) are used in Europe to make fixatives for perfumes and soaps.* The antibiotic properties of lichens were exploited by the ancient Egyptians in their embalming procedures

Lichens

Special characteristics of lichens

-they are pioneers-they produce acid to dissolve rocks-they don’t tolerate sulphur-dioxide in the air-as they die massively in case of air pollution, they are indicators of it.