Characteristics• HETEROTROPIC

–No chlorophyll–SAPROBES: Energy from breaking

down organic material–PARASITES: harm others that live

near them• Can cause plant diseases

– Corn smut, wheat rust• Can cause animal diseases

– Athlete’s foot, ring worm (not a worm)

Is it a Plant or animal?• Like a plant

–Cell walls, do not move, and looks like one

• Not like a plant–No chlorophyll

• Like an animal–Heterotroph

• Not like an animal–Do not digest their food

Characteristics• Mostly multi-cellular

– Except for yeasts: unicellular• FILAMENTOUS BODIES

–No cells, just long filaments• CELL WALLS MADE OF CHITIN

–Polysaccharide (carbohydrate)• NUCLEAR MITOSIS

– a little different than a plant or animal

H y p h a e & S p o r e s

Fungal Parts• Septum: Chitin Walls between the cells• Hyphae: slender filaments• M y c e l i u m - a mat of interwoven

hyphae• Rhizoids: root-like structure in some fungi• Stolons: creeping hyphae of some fungi

that gives rise to new organisms

• Sporangia: the maker of spores

• Spores: little pockets that are spread by the wind

hyphae (green), sporangia (orange) and spores (blue),

Fungal hyphae showing some with cell walls and some without

Note the pore through the cell wall allowing cytoplasm to move from cell to cell to bring nutrients from one end of the organism to the other

M u s h r o o m L i f e C y c l e

• Secretes digestive enzymes that break down organic material

• Some compete for nutrients with their host

• Fungi form a symbiotic relationship with other organisms: MYCORRHIZAE

• A symbiotic relationship is beneficial to both members. – Plants provide sugar to fungi– Fungi help plants absorb more nutrients

F u n g i N u t r i t i o n

Benefits of Fungi• Used to make medicines such as

Penicillin• Used in Cooking:

–Bread–Mushrooms in salads, on pizza, etc.–Cheeses–Soy sauce–Beer, wine and champagne

Reproduction• Asexual

–Some may have filaments that break from the main mycelium and grow into new individuals

–Some produce spores that disperse, germinate, divide and produce genetically identical fungi• Spores can withstand extreme dryness and cold to produce new fungi when conditions permit

Reproduction continued…• Develop two short-lived diploid cells (with

two sets of chromosomes) that soon produce a haploid cell through meiosis.

• Spores develop into cells that divide by mitosis to form a new hypha, then new mycelium

Z y g o m y c o t a • C o m m o n b r e a d

m o l d • H y p h a e l a c k s e p t a • S e x u a l r e p r o d u c t i o n i

s b y c o n j u g a t i o n • Forms sporangia• Example: Rhizopus

stolonifer- black bread mold (bottom picture); diagram p. 485

• Mushrooms • Underground hyphae

intertwine and grow upward to produce a reproductive structure called a basidiocarp.

• This is what we know as the mushroom.

B a s i d i o m y c o t a

Examples of basidiomycetesRusts, smuts, & ergots Ergots – can cause gangrene,

nervous spasms, burning sensations, hallucinations, temporary insanity, and death when accidentally ingested

In 944 A.D. more than 40,000 people died in France from ergot poisoning. It contains one of the active ingredients found in LSD.Oddly enough, it has been used for medicinal purposes in treating high blood pressure and stopping maternal bleeding following childbirth

Fun Fungi Fact:

Some of the “witch hunts” of 17th century America have been attributed to ergot poisoning as it is a common pest in rye.

FAIRY RING – results from the outward growth in all directions of a basidiomycete (mushroom); the structures visible above the ground are the reproductive structures; the body of the fungus (mycelium) is in the ground

D o N o t E a t

A s c o m y c o t a ( s a c f u n g i ) • Unicellular to multicellular• Mildew, molds, yeasts, Penicilluim• The largest group of fungi.• Named for the reproductive sacs -

Asci -that form near the tips of the hyphae

• sac fungi are used in commercial baking and brewing, wine making, and in the production of antibiotics.

A s c i & S p o r e s

Cup Fungi

Cup Fungi Cutaway

Yeasts• Reproduce asexually by budding

• Used commercially–Bread–Wine–Beer

D e u t e r o m y c o t a ( i m p e r f e c t f u n g i )

• r i n g w o r m , a n d a t h l e t e ’ s f o o t

• No sexual stage has been identified in this group.

• Reproduce by fragmenting, with segments of hyphae commonly blown about in dust by currents and the wind

P e n i c i l l i u m

Lichens• A symbiotic relationship between a

fungi and a photosynthetic partner such as an algae or cyanobacteria.• The photosynthetic organism provide nutrients for themselves and the fungus, while the fungus provides water and minerals for the photosynthetic metabolism

L i c h e n o n w o o d