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Overview
Fungi are eukaryotes Most are multicellular Differ from other eukaryotess in nutritional mode, structural organization, growth & reproduction Molecular studies show they are more closely related to animals than to plants
Nutrition
Absorptive nutrition enables fungi to live as decomposers and symbionts Heterotrophs Acquire nutrition through absorption Digest food outside of their body by secreting hydrolytic enzymes
Exoenzymes Decompose complex molecules so fungus can absorb them
Absorptive nutrition allows fungi to serve as decomposers (saprobes), parasites, or mutualistic symbionts Saprobic fungi absorb nutrients from nonliving organic material (animal waste, dead plants & animals) Parasitic fungi absorb nutrients from cells of living hosts
Cause about 80% of plant diseases
Mutualistic fungi absorb nutrients from the host but also benefit the host, such as aiding in uptake of nutrients
Structural Adaptations
Extensive surface area adapts fungi for absorptive nutrition Fungi are constructed of tiny filaments = hyphae
(yeast are an exception) Hyphae have tubular walls which surround a membrane & cytoplasm Hyphae are divided into sepatarate cells by septa
Reproduction
Reproduce by releasing spores Spores are produced either sexually or asexually Trillions of spores can be produced by a single organism Dispersed by wind and water over many miles If they land in a receptive spot, grow to form a mycelium
Karyogamy
Fusion of the haploid nuclei of the 2 parents
The two stages may be separated in time by hours, days, or years During the interim, the hybrid is a heterokaryon
Diversity of Fungi
More than 100,000 species are known Four phyla
Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota
Plasmogamy produces a resistant structure called a zygosporangium in which karyogamy, then meiosis occurs
The zygosporangium is multi-nucleated Zygosporangium are resistant to freezing & drying and metabolically inactive
Figure 31.7 The life cycle of the zygomycete Rhizopus (black bread mold)
Figure 31.9 Ascomycetes (sac fungi): Scarlet cup (top left), truffles (bottom left), morel (right)
Figure 31.11 Basidiomycetes (club fungi): Greville's bolete (top left), turkey tail (bottom left), stinkhorn (right)
Specialized Lifestyles
Four types of fungi have developed highly specialized ways of life: Molds Yeasts Lichens Mycorrhizae
Molds
A rapidly growing, asexually reproducing fungus Mold applies only to the asexual stage Many are destructive, but some are commercially important
penicillin
Yeasts
Unicellular fungi Inhabit liquid or moist habitats Reproduce asexually by budding Used commercially to raise bread and ferment alcohol One species is a normal inhabitant of moist human epithelial tissue May become pathogenic
Lichens
A symbiotic association of millions of photosynthetic microorganisms held in a mesh of fungal hyphae The photosynthetic organisms are usually unicellular or filamentous green algae or cyanobacteria The lichen symbiosis is highly complex
The alga provides the fungus with food The cyanobacteria in lichens fix nitrogen & provide organic nitrogen The fungus provides a physical structure for growth Hypahe reatin water & minerals and allow gas exchange
Mycorrhizae
Mutualistic associations of plant roots and fungi Extensions of the fungal mycelium increase the absorptive surface of the plant roots The plant derives minerals absorbed from the soil by the fungus The fungus derives organic nutrients synthesized by the plant Almost all vascular plants have mycorrhizae Fungi are in permanent association with their plant host
Ecological Impacts
Ecosystems depend on fungi as decomposers Provide ecosystems with inorganic nutrients essential to plant growth Recycle carbon, nitrogen, and other elements that otherwise would be tied in organic matter Structure suits function
Invasive hyphae enter tissues of dead organic matter Exoenzymes can hydrolyze polymers, including cellulose and lignin
Fungal Pathogens
About 30% of fungi are parasites, mostly of plants
Wheat rust Dutch Elm disease
Human diseases
Skin diseases: athletes foot, rimg worm Respiratory illnesses from inhaled spores: coccidiomycosis, histoplasmosis
Figure 31.20 Examples of fungal diseases of plants: Black stem rust on wheat (left), ergots on rye (right)
Evolution of Fungi
Fungi colonized the land with plants Oldest fungi fossils are 460 million years old Fossils of the first vascular plants have mycorrhizae Plants probably moved onto land with fungi
The four phyla may have diverged from a common ancestor during the transition from water to land