Characterstics of Fungi

• They are eukaryotic organisms• Heterotrophic mode of nutrition- Unlike plants

fungi obtain energy by decomposing organic material instead sunlight.

• Non-vascular organisms• Fungal structures are made from filamentous

cells called as hyphae.• The fungal cell have cell wall made up of chitin

(C8H13O5N)n, a complex polysaccharide.• Study of fungi “Mycology”

Different from plants

• Before the introduction of molecular method forphylogenetic analysis, fungi were considered tobe members of the plant kingdom because ofsimilarities in lifestyle: both fungi and plants aremainly sessile, have alternation of generation,and have similarities in general morphology(presence of cell wall) and growth habitat(coming out of soil).

• However, today fungi has its own separatekingdom.

Phylum of FungiPHYLUM COMMON

NAMEEXAMPLES CHARACTERSTICS SEXUAL

REPRODUCTION

ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION

Chytridomycota(Most Primitive)

Chytrids Batrachochytrium Mostly aquatic, Single celled, motile

Gametes Zoospores

Zygomycota Common molds

Rhizopus stoloniferous

Cell wall made up of chitin, produce rhizoids and stolon

Zygospores Motile Sporangiospores

Ascomycota(Largest Fungi group)

Sac fungi Truffels, Yeast Aspergillus, Penicillium

Large sized sac shaped fungi with chitinous cell wall

Ascospores Conidiospores

Basidiomycota Club fungi Edible fungi, Smuts and rusts

club-shaped fruiting bodies called basidia, which are the swollen terminal cell of a hypha

Basidiospores

Glomeromycota Mycorrhizal fungi

Form symbiotic relationship with

absent spores

Deuteromycota Fungi imperfecti

Mold like,Aspergillus

Lack of sexual phase

absent Asexual conidiophores

Oomycota Water molds, lower fungi

Phytopthera, Pythium

Cell wall made up of cellulose

Gametangia Zoospores

Chytridomycota (Water molds)

Synchytrium endobioticumin Potato

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is responsible for chytridiomycosis, a deadly disease of amphibians causing worldwide amphibian decline.

Zygomycota (Bread Molds/ Conjugating Fungi)

Rhizopus stolonifer

Ascomycota (Sac fungi)

Edible Sac fungi

Penicillium (Antibiotic producing)

YeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae(Bread making)

Basidiomycota

Stem Rust by Puccinia graminis Loose smut by Ustilago

Agaricus

Glomeromycota

Life cycle of Chytridomycota

Life cycle of Zygomycota

Life cycle of Ascomycota