Ch 11 Section 2 Fungi

Fungi

Eukaryotic consumers

Come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors

Hidden from View

Hyphae- chains of cells that make up multicellular fungi

Mycelium- a twisted mass of fungal hyphae that have grown together

Consumers

Fungi are consumers

that cannot eat or engulf food.

They must live on or

near their food supply

Getting Food

Most fungi obtain nutrients by secreting digestive juices onto the food source, then absorbing the dissolved substances

Many are decomposers

Roots with fungi

Some fungi live in symbiotic relationships with other organisms

On roots of plants – produce acid to change the minerals in the soil

Fungi cytoplasm

Holes in the cell walls of fungi allow the cytoplasm to move between cells throughout the organism

Reproduction

Asexual or sexualAsexual

Hyphae breaks apart and each new piece becomes a new individual

Production of spores

Reproduction

Spores – a small reproductive cell protected by a thick wall

SexualFungi produce sex cells from special structures that join to form new individuals

Kinds of Fungi

Threadlike FungiMolds- a shapeless, fuzzy fungus

Most live in the soil and are usually decomposers

Threadlike fungi

Reproduce asexually by forming sporangia, extensions of the hyphae that produce spores

Threadlike Fungi

Reproduce sexually by hyphae from different individuals join and develop into specialized sporangia

Sac Fungi

Largest group of fungi, includes yeast, powdery mildew, truffles and morelsReproduces sexually by forming a sac called an ascusSexually produced spores develop within the sac

Yeast

Most are multicellular but yeasts are single celled

Yeast reproduce asexually by budding, a new cell pinches off from an existing cell

Uses

Yeast is used for making bread

Truffles and morels are prized edible sac fungi

Club Fungi

Most familiar group

Umbrella shaped

During sexual reproduction, special hyphae develop and produce clublike structures called basidia

Club Fungi

Sexual spores develop inside the basidia

The mushroom you know is only the sexual spore forming part of the organism which form at the edge of the mass of hyphae, usually in a circle

Club Fungi

Most familiar, basidia form in the grooves or gills under the mushroom cap

Other types of club fungi include bracket fungi, puffballs, smuts, and rusts

Imperfect Fungi

Includes the fungi that doesn’t fit into the other groups

Do not reproduce sexually

Most are parasites that cause disease in plants and animals

Imperfect Fungi

Athletes foot – fungus on the skinOne kind produces a toxin called aflatoxin, which can cause cancerUsed to make penicillin, cheese, soy sauce and citric acid for soft drinks

Lichens

Combination of fungus and an alga that grow intertwined and exist in a symbiotic relationship

Producers

Lichens

Resist drying out because they are protected by the fungi cell wall

Need only water, air and minerals, so they can grow on rocks

Lichens

They produce acids that break down the rock and cause cracks, which become filled with bits of rock and dead lichens, making soil for other things to grow on

Lichens

Absorb water and minerals from the air, making them sensitive to air pollution