FUNGIFUNGI

why are mushrooms not plants?why are mushrooms not plants?

Features of fungiFeatures of fungi

• eukaryotic,

• mostly multicellular;

• terrestrial;

• have thin filaments called hyphae;

Features of fungiFeatures of fungi

• cell walls made of chitin;

• heterotrophic

• reproduce by spores

• (mushroom caps is the reproductive part of the plant, usually don’t see the rest)

• can reproduce sexually or asexually

How fungi obtain nutrientsHow fungi obtain nutrients

• instead of a stomach, fungi digest food by secreting enzymes outside their bodies, then absorb the digested nutrients;

• decomposers help return nutrients to soil and air;

• hyphae provide a large surface area for absorption

Four divisions of fungiFour divisions of fungi

• classified by reproductive structures

1. zygomycetes1. zygomycetes

• bread mold; form zygospores - thick walled zygote; then stalks with spores

2. ascomycetes2. ascomycetes

• yeasts, mildews, morels, truffles; form sacs of spores which burst open

3. basidiomycetes3. basidiomycetes

• common mushrooms; form club like reproductive structures which release spores

Ecological and economic Ecological and economic importance of fungiimportance of fungi

• mycorrhizae were important in plant evolution

• lichens important in soil formation, indicator of acid rain or air quality

• useful in bread

4. deuteromycetes4. deuteromycetes

• Roquefort cheese, athlete’s foot; reproductive structures are unclear or unknown

Ecological and economic Ecological and economic importance of fungiimportance of fungi

• antibiotics - penicillin

• cyclosporine - immune suppresser useful to transplant patients

• yeast are good genetic engineering subjects