Transcript Fungi - Kent City School District

Kingdom Fungi
THE STUDY OF FUNGI IS CALLED MYCOLOGY
What is probably the largest living organism on earth has been
discovered in the Malheur National Forest in eastern Oregon. A fungus
living three feet underground is estimated to cover 2,200 acres. After
testing samples from various locations, scientists say it is all one
organism.
Officially known as Armillaria ostoyae, or the honey mushroom, the
fungus is 3.5 miles across and takes up 1,665 football fields. The small
mushrooms visible above ground are only the tip of the iceberg.
Experts estimate that the giant mushroom is at least 2,400 years old, but
could be 7,200 years old.
Characteristics of Kingdom
Fungi
In order to belong to the Kingdom Fungi, organisms must:
 Be Multicellular
 Have Eukaryotic cells
 Be Heterotrophs
 Must have cell walls
 Most fungi are sedentary..(they
don’t move
around, they live their lives anchored
somewhere)
Cell Walls
 The cell walls of Fungi
are made of Chitin
(Chitin is a sugar… the
same substance which
makes up the
exoskeleton of insects)
 Some fungi have cross
walls, or septa, which
divide the filaments
into compartments
having a single nucleus.
septum
 Digestion takes place outside the body
(extra-cellular)
 Fungi are Absorptive Feeders
…they simply ingest (absorb) digested
foods thru their cell walls
Facts
 Fungi live and grow in their food
 only seen when the fruiting bodies
emerge…. By then it’s too late
Ecological Role
 The major role of Fungi is as
Decomposers (they are the great
recyclers)…. They are Saprophytes
Fairy Ring: (a ring of
mushrooms)
Fairy Ring
Life cycle of fungi

Spore
Fruiting Body
(haploid reproductive cell)
(reproductive and dispersion)
Hypha
(a single filament)
Mycelium
(a mass of hyphae)
Spores: Haploid Reproductive Cells
Spore with Developing Hypha
**(some fungi have haustoria, hyphae that can penetrate their host)
Spore
Hypha
The Hypha begins to branch as it digests its
way through the food.
A Mass of Hyphae form the Mycelium
The Mycelium growth in a Petri Dish
Fungi Reproduction
 Fungi reproduce both sexually and asexually.
 Asexual reproduction includes:
1. fragmentation: the breaking up of hypha
2. budding: the pinching off of a small hypha outgrowth
3. asexual spores: there’s two kinds of asexual spores
a. Sporangiospores are produced by sporangia
which are located on top of a filament called
sporangiophore.
b. Conidia are formed at the tips of specialized hyphae
called conidiophores.
Asexual Spores
Sporangium:
Produces the
sporangiospores
Sporangiophore:
Holds up the
sporangium
Asexual Spores
The Conidiophores look like tubes… the conidia look like
small black dots inside the tubes.
Classification of Fungi
 Classified by the shape of the “Fruiting




Bodies”
The “Fruiting Bodies” are the reproductive
structures.
Phylum Zygomycota (bread mold)
Phylum Basidiomycota (mushrooms, puff balls,
bracket fungi)
Phylum Ascomycota (cup fungi)
Phylum Deuteromycota (Imperfect fungi)
Phylum Zygomycota
A common Zygomycota is Bread Mold
 Hyphae lack septa
 Sexual
reproduction is by
conjugation (fusing
hyphae from two
different strains)
followed by meiosis
and the production
of Zygospores.
Zygomycota
Sporangium:
Produces the spores
Sporangiophore:
Holds up the
sporangium
A nice bowl of mold
Want an orange ?
Zygomycota does !!
Phylum Basidiomycota
 Mushrooms
 Puffballs
 Shelf (Bracket) Fungi
 Have Septa and reproduce sexually.
 Underground hyphae intertwine and grow
upward to produce a reproductive structure
called a basidiocarp. This basidiocarp is what
we call a mushroom.
 Basidiospores are produced on the basidia,
reproductive structures, which are found on
the edges of the gills.
Agaricus (gills)
Amanita phalloides “Death Cap”
Gills: produce spores
Boletes: tubes instead of gills
Tubes (not gills)
produce spores
Chanterelles: vase-shaped
Gills
Elfin Saddle
Puff Balls
Shelf Fungi
Phylum Ascomycota
Cup Fungi
Yeast
Mildews
 The largest group of fungi
 Named for the reproductive sacs or Asci
that form near the tips of the hyphae.
Ascospores are formed here and released
into the air when the ascus ruptures.
These spores germinate to form new
hyphae.
Yeast
Cup Fungi
Phylum Deuteromycota
Athlete’s Foot
Ringworm
Penicillium

Called “imperfect because a sexual reproductive
stage has not been observed.
Penicillium: source of penicillin
Athlete’s Foot
Athlete’s Foot
Athlete’s Foot
Ringworm
Ringworm
Ringworm
Lichens
symbiotic association,
mutualism, between
fungi and algae
alga provides food,
fungus provides
water and a physical
environment (a
place to live)
can be used as an air
pollution detector
The Lichens life cycle has 3 stages
Crustose (appears grainy)
Foliose
(flat and leafy)
Fruticose
(old man’s beard…Spanish moss)
 Many Fungi are
involved in
Mycorhizzae
(symbiotic mutualism)
relationships…Over
90% of plants have
fungi associated with
their roots. The fungus
absorbs and
concentrates
phosphates for delivery
to the plant roots. In
return, the fungus
receive sugars
synthesized by the
plant.