FungiThe decomposers

Ecological Importance

DecompositionSymbiosis with plants

(mycorrhizae)

Economic Importance

Fermentation Food

Economic Importance:Antibiotics

Zygomycota

Ascomycota

Basidiomycota

Characteristcs of fungi

•Feed by absorption

•Most are multicellular

•Thread-like filaments called hyphae

•Hyphae organized into mycelium

•Asexual and sexual reproduction

•Chitin cell walls

Fusion of cytoplasm

Heterokaryotic stage

Fusion of nuclei

Diploid stage

Haploid stage

ZygomycotaZygote fungi

Rhizopus stolonifer

Pilobolus crystallinus

Ascomycota: Sac fungi

PezizaMorels

Ergot

Penicillium

Morelss

Ergot alkaloids

Responsible for Salem witch

trials?

Ergotamine is a precursor to LSD

Basidiomycota: Club fungi

Pileus

Stipe

Gills

Fungi imperfecti (once called Deuteromycota)

• Imperfect or asexual fungi

• Reproduce only vegetatively (asexually)

• Many human diseases are imperfect fungi

• Athlete’s foot, ringworm, candida “yeast” infections

• A fungi from this group is used to make Roquefort and blue cheeses

Lichena symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae or cyanobacteria (commonly Nostoc)