KINGDOM FUNGAE

 

Characteristics
  • unicellular or multicellular
  • terrestrial & aquatic
  • 1 - 1.5 million species
  • eukaryotic
  • heterotrophic - absorb nutrients after "breaking down" material using digestive enzymes that are specific to each food source
  • 3 niches - decomposers, parasites or associated with a plant
  • multicellular forms have characteristic structures
    • hypha - single fungal filament
      • contains cell walls of chitin (modified cellulose) - common to arthropod exoskeletons, but not plants
    • mycelium - made up of branching hyphae
    • rhizoids - hyphae that anchor the fungus
    • fruiting bodies - the visible structures for reproduction by spores made of tightly packed specialised hyphae
  • asexual & sexual reproduction - budding, spores, "fruiting bodies" of hyphae
  • many fungi are economically useful bread, wine, beer, cheeses, yogurt, antibiotics
  • penicillium - used to make antibiotic - penicillin
  • cause various diseases in wide variety of organisms including man

Common types

  • yeasts
    • unicellular
  • moulds
  • mushrooms & toadstools
  • smuts & rusts

Division/Phylum Spore Production Other Characteristics Illustrations
Zygomycota
  • sporangia
  • "pin moulds" (including bread mould)
  • spores - asexual
  • conjugation - sexual

Ascomycota
  • asci
  • "cup fungi" ( including Penicillium & Aspergillus) & morels
  • also include lichen & yeasts
  • spores not covered by sporangia
  • freshwater Ascomycetes
  • "spore shooters"

Morels 

Pezizales

Basidiomycota
  • basidia
  • mushrooms, toadstools & puffballs
  • "spore droppers"

Links


Contact me ...... with questions or comments about this web site
Copyright © Jennie Walters: 1998 ~ 2004
Last changed: May 10, 2003

since 10/02/2002