Fungi

By :
Mr. Shahrul Nidzam bin Rozali
Objectives
• To identify the fungi body structure

• To determine the sexual and asexual

reproduction of fungi

• To classify fungi based on its characteristics

Fungi…
• Nutrition

• Body structure

• Reproduction

• Classification
Fungal nutrition
• Heterotrophic nutrition

Divided into 3 categories :

• Mycorrhizal fungi
• Parasitic fungi
• Saprophytic fungi
Mycorrhizal
• Association with a vascular plants

• Increase the root’s effectiveness

• Formation of hyphae surrounding the root

• Mycelium supplies minerals and nutrient from

soil to root
Parasitic fungi
• 2nd largest group

• Obtain nutrient and food from a living host

• Attack and killed the host

• Develop a haustoria to penetrate the cell wall

Saprophytic fungi
• Largest group of fungi

• Grow on dead organic matter

• Known as absorptive heterotrophs

• Present of exoenzymes (hydrolytic enzyme)

Fungi body structure
• Fungi exists as a uni-celled or multi-celled

• If it is a unicellular fungi : yeasts

o Reproduce by budding

• Multicellular fungi posses a hyphae

Hyphae
Hyphae can be divided into :

• Non-septate hyphae (coenocytic hyphae)

o No separation between nuclei in filament
o Through times, nuclei divide by mitosis but no cytokinesis

• Septate hyphae
o Nuclei separated by cell wall
o Formation of septum after nuclear division
• Mycelium – hyphae network

• Within the hyphae, if there is a present of 2

compatible nucleus in each cell : dikaryotic

• If the hyphae contain only 1 nucleus/cell :

monokaryotic
• If fungus able to exist as either yeasts or
hyphae : dimorphic fungi
o Due to environmental condition
o Characteristic for pathogenic species
Fungal reproduction
Exist in :

• Sexual reproduction
- under unfavorable condition

• Asexual reproduction
- under favorable condition
Fungal reproduction…sexual
• Start with a pheromones production

• Hyphae meeting and fusing with each other

• Followed by plasmogamy (fusion of

cytoplasm)
• Nuclei from each mycelia exist together but
not fusing (heterokaryon)

• Heterokaryon : different nuclei

• Followed by karyogamy, haploid nuclei fused

producing diploid cells (zygote)
• Zygote developed and undergo meiosis to
produce haploid spores

• Haploid spores will germinates to produce a

fruiting body
Fungal reproduction…asexual
• Divided into budding or spores production

• Mold : grow as mycelia and produce spores

by mitosis.

• Yeast : performing simple cell division or

budding
Fungal Classification
Classification
• Classification based on the sexual spores and
fruiting bodies

5 divisions :
• Chytridiomycota
• Zygomycota
• Ascomycota
• Basidiomycota
• Deuteromycota
Chytridiomycetes
• Division Chytridiomycota

• Aquatic fungi, parasites, decomposer

• Cell wall consist of chitin

• Food reserves as glycogen

• Gametes have flagella (motile)

• Reproduce sexually and asexually

• Example : Allomyces
Reproduction of chytridiomycetes

• Exist in the form of haploid and diploid thallus

(morphologically similar)

• Haploid thallus produced male and female

gametangia
Production of diploid thallus
• Gametangia produced haploid flagellated
gametes

• Gametes fused forming diploid zygote

• Diploid zygote developed into diploid thallus

• Diploid thallus produces resting sporangia
and zoosporangia

• Zoosporangia produce flagellated diploid

zoospores

• Zoospores grow and forming diploid thalli

Production of haploid thallus
• Meiosis occur within resting sporangia

• Forming haploid zoospores

• Haploid zoospores land on suitable

substances developing haploid thallus
Zygomycetes

• Phylum/division Zygomycota

• Due to the formation of zygospores

• Acts as a decomposers, some are parasites

and mycorrhiza
Characteristics
• Hyphae are coenocytic

• Septa formed only when reproductive cell

formed

• In favorable condition, undergo asexual

reproduction
Asexual reproduction
• Formation of black sporangia at the tips of
upright hyphae

• Within the sporangia, present of haploid

spores

• When the sporangia burst, spores is released

and developed forming new mycelium
Sexual reproduction
• Happened in unfavorable condition

• Hyphae of 2 different mating type (+) and (-)

in contact with one another

• Heterothallic
• When the thallus grow very close, hormones
is produced

• Gametangia develop at the tip of hyphae

• Gametangia fuse, followed by nucleus forming

zygote with diploid nucleus
• Zygote develops into a zygospore and been
enclosed in thick walled

• Forming zygosporangium

• Zygosporangium lie dormant until condition

become favorable
When condition favorable

• Zygospores germinates forming aerial hyphae

• Aerial hyphae formed with sporangium at the tip

• Sporangium burst and releasing haploid spores

• Example :

• Rhizopus oligosporus
Ascomycetes
• Phylum/division Ascomycota

• Also known as “sac fungi”

sexual spores (ascospores) enclosed in a tube-
like sac (asci)

• Sexual stages happen in ascocarps (fruiting

bodies)
Asexual reproduction

• Happen in favorable condition

• Produced spores known as Conidia found

within the conidiophores (specialized hyphae)

• Spores form in a cluster or long chain

Sexual reproduction
• Have 2 type of mating strain strategies :
- Heterothallic (+)(-)
- Homothallic (+)(+) or (-)(-)

• For homothallic mating strain, each strain is

self-fertile

• Reproduction occur when 2 gametangia in

contact and fuse
• Followed by plasmogamy
o Fusing of cytoplasm BUT not the nuclei

• Forming a new dikaryotic hyphae

- branch repeatedly forming dikaryotic asci

• Dikaryotic asci combine forming ascocarp

(fruiting bodies)
• Followed by karyogamy forming zygote

• Zygote undergo meiosis forming 4 haploid

nuclei

• Each of the haploid nuclei undergo mitosis

forming 8 ascospores (line up within each
ascus)

• Ascospores released from ascocarp

Unicellular ascomycetes
• Phylum ascomycota consist of more than 300
species of unicellular yeast

• Prefer asexual reproduction by budding or

binary fission

• Reproduce sexually by producing ascospores

in ascus
• 2 haploid yeast fused forming zygote

• Zygote undergo meiosis forming haploid

nuclei

• Haploid nuclei developed into ascospores

• Example : Saccharomyces cerevisae

Basidiomycetes
• Known as ‘club’ fungi

• Phylum/division Basidiomycota

• Consist of complex fungi

o Mushrooms

• Have sexual spores : Basidiospores

• Spores formed on basidia (fruiting body)

• 1 basidium will have 4 basidiospores

• Each basidiospores able to form haploid

mycelium consist of monokaryotic cells

• Hyphae have septa

Sexual reproduction
• 2 haploid 1° mycelium (different mating types)
fused and undergo plasmogamy

• Forming 2° mycelium

• In favorable condition, 2° mycelium form a

compact mass, buttons
• Each button grow into basidiocarps (fruiting
body)

• Basidiocarps structure :
- Cap
Lower surface of cap consist of gills that
contain basidia

- Stalk
• Haploid nuclei in basidia undergo karyogamy
forming zygote

• Zygote undergo meisois forming 4 haploid

nuclei

• Basidium grows 4 extensions, join by 4

haploid nuclei and cytoplasm forming
basidiospores
Deuteromycetes
• Also known as ‘fungi imperfecti’

• Mostly are terrestrial

• When a fungus lacks the sexual phase, or the

phase has not been observed

• Mostly reproduce by forming a conidia

• When the sexual stage is observed, the
fungus is transferred to its proper division
(often ascomycota)

• Causing human pathogens

- Athlete foot

• Important
- Penicillium synthesize Penicillin
Lichen
Lichens
• Symbiotic organisms

• Association of green algae/cynobacteria with

fungi

• Green algae (photobiont)

• Fungi (mycobiont)
• Fungi will receive sugar produce by algae,
algae receive protection

• Sugar is collected by haustoria

• Lichens take the external shape of fungi

• Typically member of Ascomycota or

Mycophycota
 • Reproduce mostly asexual
- fragmentation
- Soredia (dispersal unit) break off and
germinate

• Body structure composed of thallus (fungi

figure)
• Fungal hyphae branch and fuse forming a
‘mesh’

• Top surface : layer of tightly packed hyphae

(cortex)

• Below surface : algal layer (medulla), loose

hyphae, nutrient stored

• Lower cortex sometimes exist

Lichens basic growth forms

• Crustose

• Squamulose

• Foliose

• Fructicose
Cructose
• Crustlike form

• Growing tight against the substrate

• Tend to grow out from the edges, fruiting

bodies in the centre, no lower cortex

• Hardly remove from the substrate

Squamulose
• Tightly clustered

• Flattened in shape

• A portion of thallus is lifted off the substrate to

form ‘squamules’

• Similar to crustose lichens

Foliose
• Leaf-like

• Flat sheets of tissue, not tightly bound

• Have upper and lower cortex

• Raised above the substrate but connected

with rhizines

• Easily removed from substrate

Foliose lichen
Fruticose
• Free-standing branching tubes

• Shrubby lichens

• Attached to the substrate by a single point

• Algal part exist as a ring around thallus

Fructicose lichen
Importance of lichens
• High tolerance extreme conditions

• Breaks down rocks and form soil by excreting

weak acid

• Help bind the soil surface forming crust in arid

condition
• Food source for invertebrates and vertebrates

• Some can fix nitrogen from the aymosphere

• Sensitive to man-made pollutants (pollution

indicator)

• Acts as blotter to soak up chemical deposited