CHAPTER 23: Fungi

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CHAPTER 23 Fungi

• High School Biology Class

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Kingdom Fungi

• Members of the Kingdom Fungi are a diverse group
  of over 100,000 species living in many different
  environments.
• Fungi differ from other organisms in several
  ways, including their structure, reproduction
  abilities, and in their method of obtaining
  nutrients.

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What is a Fungi?

• Fungi an organism that lacks chlorophyll,
  produces spores, and absorbs food from living or
  dead organisms.

• Molds, mildew, rusts, smuts, mushrooms, and
  yeasts are all different types of fungi.

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What is a Fungi?

• All Fungi are eukaryotic and heterotrophic.
• Additionally, most fungi are multicellular and
  nonmotile organisms.

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Fungi versus Plants
Fungi resemble Plants in some ways, and
consequently were once classified as
Plants. Today taxonomists separate them by

• Fungi
• No Chlorophyll
• Non-Photosynthetic
• Reproduce by Spores
• Cell Walls of Chitin

• Plants
• Chlorophyll
• Photosynthetic
• Reproduce by Seeds
• Cell Walls of Cellulose

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Fungi Facts

• Scientists reason that fungi, like all other
  eukaryotes, arose from older more ancient
  prokaryotes, possibly by endosymbiosis.

• More specifically, scientists hypothesize that
  fungi may have more recent ancestors to the
  fungi-like protists.

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Fungi Facts

• According to fossil record, all modern phyla of
  fungi had evolved 300 million years ago.
• Biologists also hypothesize that Fungi colonized
  land at about the same time that the early Plants
  did.

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Characteristics of Fungi

• 1) Fungi are all eukaryotic, which means that
  their cells have a nucleus.
• 2) Fungi are all heterotrophic, which means they
  obtain energy from environment.
• Actually by digesting their food outside of
  their body and then absorbing it.

Cell Wall
Nucleus
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Characteristics of Fungi

• 3) Most Fungi are nonmotile, which means they
  cannot move on their own.
• 4) Also most Fungi are multicellular, although a
  few may be unicellular.

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Characteristics of Fungi

• 5) Fungal cells contain chitin (a polysaccharide
  found in the tough, outer cell walls).
• 6) Fungi may be saprophytes (survive off of dead
  organisms), parasites, or symbionts.

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Characteristics of Fungi

• 7) Fungi have long, slender, filamentous bodies
  called hyphae that at times appear to be tightly
  woven together.
• 8) Fungi exhibit nuclear mitosis, which is what
  happens when the nuclear envelope remains intact
  while the chromosomes divide inside the nucleus.

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Specialized Parts

• Fungi have parts that are unique only to their
  kingdom

A) Hyphae slender filaments or threads that
make up the body of a fungi (except yeast).
Unicellular yeast
Hyphae
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Specialized Parts

• Fungi have parts that are unique only to their
  kingdom

B) Mycelium fungi bodies composed of tangled
masses of hyphae.
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Fungi Reproduction

• Fungi reproduce asexually when they bud off or
  form spores by mitosis.
• The spores (consist of a nucleus and dehydrated
  cell) get released into the atmosphere and
  carried to new places where under the right
  conditions can begin to grow.

Budding -
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Fungi Reproduction

• Fungi reproduce sexually when hyphae from two
  mating types of fungi meet and fuse together to
  form a sexually reproductive structure.

Hyphae
Fusion
Reproductive Structure
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Fungi Location

• Fungi live in the soil and on your body, in your
  house and on plants and animals, in freshwater
  and saltwater.
• Thus, Fungi appear to be nearly everywhere.

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The Phylums of Fungi

• Traditionally, fungi have been classified
  according to their structures and form of sexual
  reproduction, however, new classification
  techniques are shedding more light on their
  taxonomy

• Deutromycetes
• Zygomycetes
• Ascomycetes
• Basidiomycetes

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A. Deuteromycetes Imperfect Fungi

• The one characteristic shared by all
  Deuteromycota is an apparent absence of a sexual
  reproduction stage.

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2
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• Examples
• 1) Penicillium important antibiotic
• 2) Aspergillus "allergy"-type illness
• 3) Ringworm skin disease
• 4) Athletes Foot foot disease

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B. Zygomycetes Common Molds

• Most species of Zygomycota are terrestrial
  organisms found primarily in soil and feed on
  decaying plant and animal matter.
• Common molds reproduce both asexually and
  sexually by producing a structure called a
  zygospore (although its usually asexual
  reproduction).

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Zygomycota
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B. Zygomycetes Common Molds

• Examples
• 1) Allergies caused by spores
• 2) Molds (black) bread

Rhizopus stolonifera
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C. Ascomycetes Sac Fungi

• Ascomycota are distinguished by the presence of
  saclike compartments where sexual production of
  spores form, called an ascus.
• Sac fungi reproduce asexually by budding off and
  sexually by mating hyphae that produce an
  ascocarp.

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Ascomycota
Ascus
Spores
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C. Ascomycetes Sac Fungi

• Examples
• 1) Morels
• 2) Truffles
• 3) Yeast
• 4) Dutch Elm Disease
• 5) Chestnut Blight

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D. Basidiomycetes Club Fungi

• Basidiomycota produce small club-like
  reproductive structures called basidia during
  sexual reproduction.
• Club Fungi seldom reproduce asexually and usually
  reproduce sexually by mating hyphae that produce
  an basidiocarp.

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Basidiomycota
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D. Basidiomycetes Club Fungi

• Examples
• 1) Mushrooms
• 2) Toadstools
• 3) Puffballs
• 4) Shelf Fungi
• 5) Rusts

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Symbiotic Relationships

• Mycorrhiza - type of mutualistic relationship
  between a fungi and a plants roots.
• The fungi supplies nutrients and minerals while
  the plant provides carbohydrates (sugars).
• Over 90 of plants contain fungi on their roots.

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Symbiotic Relationships

• Lichen type of mutualistic relationship between
  a fungi and a photosynthetic partner (such as a
  green algae or cyanobacteria)
• Fungi supplies the water and anchors while the
  photosynthetic partner supplies the nutrients
  (nitrogen, sulfer, etc.).

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Fungi Diseases

• Fungal disease is a major concern for humans
  because fungi attack not only us but, also our
  food source.
• Mold spores can cause mild to serious allergies
  in some people, such as, sniffling, sneezing, and
  respiratory distress.

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Fungi Diseases

• Fungi can also infect and poison humans.

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Fungi Are Beneficial As Well

• 1. Many Fungi are valuable food sources for
  humans. 
• - Yeast, such as Saccharomyces, is an important
  nutritional supplement because it contains
  vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
• - Used in baking, brewing, and wine-making.

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Fungi Are Beneficial As Well

• 2. Mushrooms are an important food.
• - Agaricus (White Button), shiitake, and
  portabella mushrooms are often found in grocery
  stores.

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Fungi Are Beneficial As Well

• 3. Fungi are used to produce chemicals that are
  important to the food-processing industry.
• - Citric Acid is used in soft drinks and
  candies. 
• - Gluconic Acid is fed to chickens to enhance
  the hardness of eggshells.

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Fungi Are Beneficial As Well

• 4. Fungi are also used in food production.

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Fungi Are Beneficial As Well

• 5. Fungi work along with bacteria and protists to
  decompose the waste and remains of dead plants
  and animals.
• - Decomposers help recycle nutrients and return
  them back to the environment.

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Fungi Are Beneficial As Well

• Without decomposers, entire ecosystems would
  collapse, because many organisms would not obtain
  enough nutrients to stay alive.

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Fungi Are Beneficial As Well

• 6. Fungi are also used as medicines.
• - Penicillium, Ampicillium, Amoxycillium

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Any Questions?

• Appearances may be deceiving.
• --Aesop
• We make a living by what we get, but we make a
  life by what we give.
• --Sir Winston Churchill