Kingdom Fungi

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Kingdom Fungi

• Mr. V. Perez
• Grade 6 Science

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The Fungi Kingdom

• How are fungi like plants?
• Like plants, most fungi are made up of many cells
  (multi-cellular) unlike the one-celled monerans
  and protists
• Fungi have eukaryotic cells that contain a cell
  wall (like plants)
• Fungi grow well in the soil (like plants)
• If fungi are like plants, why do they have their
  own kingdom?

• The cells in fungi do not have chloroplasts, so
  they cannot produce chlorophyll or make their own
  food like plants do during the process of
  photosynthesis
• They get food from their environment from other
  living things (as consumers or parasites) OR from
  dead organisms (as decomposers). They release
  acid and then absorb nutrients.
• The Fungi Kingdom includes yeasts, molds, and
  mushrooms. A fourth category includes imperfect
  fungi.

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Yeasts

• Yeast are colorless, one-celled fungi
• Yeasts are part of a group called sac fungi (that
  also includes multi-cellular powdery mildews,
  truffles, and morels)
• Yeast cells are surrounded by a cell membrane and
  a cell wall. Inside the cell is cytoplasm and a
  nucleus.
• Yeasts grow well where sugar is present.
• Fermentation occurs when yeast cells use sugar to
  make food while producing carbon dioxide gas and
  alcohol as waste. Wine and beer are made by
  yeast in this manner.
• Trapped bubbles of carbon dioxide cause dough to
  rise and make it soft and fluffy

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Yeasts Reproduction (Budding)

• Yeasts reproduce by one kind of asexual
  reproduction called budding. A new cell is
  formed by a tiny bud on a parent cell
• The cell wall of the parent cell pushes outward
• This forms a new bud
• The cell nucleus moves towards the new bud and
  divides
• One nucleus moves into the new bud
• The other nucleus stays with the parent cell
• A cell wall forms between the parent cell and bud
• The bud breaks away

• There are now 2 yeast cells (1 adult and 1 bud)
• A scar is left on the parent cell after each bud
• Yeast can reproduce by budding in 30 minutes

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Multicellular Fungi

• Multicellular fungi are made up of chains of
  cells called hyphae
• Hyphae are similar to plant roots, but they have
  openings in their cell walls that allows
  cytoplasm to move between cells
• The hyphae grow together to form a twisted mass
  which is called the mycelium. Together, they
  make up the rhizoid or root system.

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Molds
Sporangium (Spore Case)

• Molds are common kinds of fungi
• They grow on bread, fruits, and vegetables
• Most molds look like a mass of threads

• The stolon is the long thread that is made up of
  only one cell that contains cytoplasm and many
  nuclei
• Some strands produce reproductive cells called
  spores
• Rhizoids are the rootlike structures that grow
  down into the bread. They release chemicals that
  break down nutrients in the bread. The nutrients
  move up into the stolons and spores.

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Mushrooms

• Mushrooms are most recognizable by their shape
• Mushrooms and mold do not look alike, but they
  both contain stolons (threads).
• The cap is the umbrella-shaped top
• The stalk is the stem-like part of the mushroom

Gills

• Gills can be found under the cap, and they
  protect the spores
• Spores are the reproductive structures in
  mushrooms found in the gills
• Spores are light in weight and can be carried by
  the wind, water, or the bodies of insects for
  reproduction
• The rhizoids are the roots
• The ring is upper part of the stem and gives
  added protection to the spores

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Mold and Mushroom Reproduction (Sporulation)

• Sporulation is a kind of asexual reproduction in
  which a new organism forms from spores released
  by a parent cell
• On the top of some of the stolons (threads) is a
  ball of reproductive cells called the spore case
  

Spores released from a spore case of a puffball

• When a spore case breaks, thousands of spores are
  released
• Each spore can grow into a new mold or mushroom

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Fairy Ring Mushrooms
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Imperfect Fungi

• Imperfect fungi includes all of the fungi that do
  not fit into the other three categories (yeast,
  molds, and mushrooms)
• Most are parasites that cause diseases in plants
  and animals
• One common disease caused by imperfect fungi is
  athletes foot, which is a skin disease
• Aflatoxin is a fungus that can cause cancer. It
  is mold that can be stored in peanuts.

• Penicillin is a useful imperfect fungi because it
  is the source of the antibiotic, penicillin,
  which kills bacteria
• Some other helpful imperfect fungi are used to
  produce cheeses, soy sauce, and the citric acid
  used in cola drinks

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Harmful Fungi
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Lichens

• A lichen is a combination of a fungus and an alga
  that have a symbiotic relationship
• The alga lives inside the protective walls of the
  fungus, and the alga supplies food
• Lichens are not considered to be fungus because
  they produce food through photosynthesis
• Lichens need only air, light, and minerals to
  grow (which is why they grow on rocks)

• They produce acids which break down rocks and
  cause cracks in them
• When lichens die, they fill the
  cracks, decompose, and make new
  soil for other plants
• Lichens are in their own category of
  plants