Illustrations on Ascomycetes, Deuteromycetes, Basidiomycetes, Oomycetes, Zygomycetes, slime molds.

• OUTLINE OF LECTURE ON FUNGI
• I- Characteristics of Fungi and Fungal-like Protists
  • A. possess a plant body called a thallus
    • 1. having a thallus is one reason why these organisms, along with the algae, were classified in the early part of this century into the division THALLOPHYTA.
    • 2. having a thallus allows these organisms, along with the algae, to be commonly called thallophytes.
  • B. heterotrophic
    • 1. heterotrophic organisms can be categorized into three groups
      • a. parasites- obtain their organic matter from living material
      • b. saprophytes- obtain their organic matter from dead material
      • c. mutualistic- obtain their organic matter from having a mutually beneficial association with another organism.
    • 2. the material used for organic matter is called the substrate.
    • 3. heterotrophic organism can be found in or on the substrate.
    • 4. heterotrophic organisms function in the ecosystem (i.e., the entire environment in which they live) by recycling nutrients- thus they are called decomposers.
      • I. the two groups of decomposers are the fungi and the bacteria.
      • II. all other living organisms are totally dependent on decomposers.
    • 5. heterotrophic organisms lack the pigment chlorophyll.
  • C. eukaryotic
  • D. cell wall: either absent, with cellulose, or with chitin; other substances are found in the cell wall along with these.
  • E. reproduce by spores.
    • 1. spores can be motile by flagella.
      • a. organisms possessing flagellated cells are almost always dependent on water (they either live in it or need it for reproduction to be successful).
• II. Types of thalli (thallus is singular; thalli is the plural of thallus) in the Fungi and Fungal-like protists
  • A. Single cell- the thallus consists of one cell.
    • 1- possessed by fungi and fungal-like protists
  • B. Plasmodium- a multinucleate mass of protoplasm that does not have a cell wall
    • 1. organisms with a plasmodium are called the slime molds.
  • C. Mycelium- a mass of branched, interconnected hyphae
    • 1. hypha is singular; hyphae is plural.
    • 2. a hypha is about the size of one hair on your head.
• III. Organisms called Fungi and Fungal-like protists are classified into two Kingdoms
  • A. Protista-
    • 1. Characteristics of Protista
      • a. organisms either
        • I. without a cell wall
        • II. or with a cellulose cell wall
      • b. plant or animal body is simple; thus in the plant-like or fungal-like protists it is a thallus.
      • c. somewhere in the reporductive life cycle of these organisms a flagellated cell is usually produced.
      • d. heterotrophic organisms (the animal-like protists or the fungal-like protists)- OR-e. autotrophic and photosynthetic organisms-(the algae).
  • B. Fungi- heterotrophic, cell wall chitin, non-motile, thallus either single celled or a mycelium.
    • I. Variation in the types of hyphae
      • A. without crosswalls- called a coenocytic (siphonous) hypha
      • B. with crosswalls- called septate; crosswalls called septa.
    • II. Reproduction in general
      • A. One characteristic of living organism is their ability to increase in numbers through reproduction.
      • B. Two types of reproduction
        • 1. sexual
          • a. involves fusion of gametes (called syngamy)
            • I. gametes produced within gametangia of some sort
              • A. Gametangia in thallophytes are single-celled
              • B. determining the type of gametangium allows the different groups of fungi to be separated from each other.
            • II. syngamy
              • A. involves
                • 1. fusion of protoplasm- plasmogamy
                • 2. fusion of nuclei- karyogamy
              • B. types of syngamy
                • 1. isogamy
                • 2. heterogamy
                • a. anisogamy
                • b. oogamy
          • b. involves meiosis
            • I. can occur in production of spores
              • a. these spores produced within sporangia- thus
                • 1. the spores are meiosores, the sporangium a meiosporangium
        • 2. asexual- involves mitosis and not meiosis
          • a. budding
          • b. fragmentation
          • c. production of spores
            • I. spores are thus called mitospores
            • II. mitospores can be produced
        • 3. Reproductive life cycles
• a. a cycle involving the reproductive changes in an organism
• b. usually sexual reproduction, although asexual reproduction can be involved.
• c. types
  • I. Zygotic (meiosis in the germination of the zygote)
  • II. Gametic (meiosis in the formation of the gametes)
  • III.Sporic (meiosis in the formation of the meiospores)
    • A. often called alternation of generations
      • 1. isomorphic or heteromorphic
        
• Terms for Fungi
• oogonium
• antheridium
• syngamy
• isogamy
• anisogamy
• oogamy
• karyogamy
• plasmogamy
• sporangium
• zoosporagnium
• meiosporangium
• basidium
• ascus
• mitosporangium
• conidiophore
• zygote
• spore
• meiospore
• ascospore
• basidiospore
• mitospore
• conidium (conidiospore)
• zoospore
• zygospore
• oospore