Fungi

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Fungi
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Fungus Structure

• Whole body called mycelium, made up hyphae
  threads
• Hyphae often multinucleate (coenocytic)
• Fungal cell walls are made of chitin

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Internal structure
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Modes of Nutrition

• Fungi are heterotrophic, feeding by absorption
• They can be saprobes, feeding off of dead remains
• Or they can be parasites, feeding off a living
  host, using special haustoria hyphae that
  penetrate living cells

This shows a parasitic fungal haustorium (pink)
invading a host organism (green)
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Ecological Roles

• Fungis roles in the environment include
• Decomposers
• Parasites
• Mutualistic relationships with plants
  Mycorrhizae and Lichens

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Mycorrhiza

• These are symbiotic relationships between a
  fungus and a plant root
• The fungus greatly increases surface area for
  absorbing water and minerals for a plant and in
  turn is provided with sugar from the plant

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Lichens

• Lichens are symbiotic associations between a
  fungus and an algae
• The fungus helps absorb water from the air while
  the algae performs photosynthesis and provides
  sugars
• Lichens are pioneer organisms that can live in
  harsh conditions because they are so
  self-sufficient

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Fungus Reproduction Bread Mold
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Fungus Reproduction Mushroom
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Fungal Diversity