Fungi

PRE-LAB QUESTIONS
1. Hypothesize why a fungus would use spores as a mechanism for reproduction.

Spores have many benefits. Spores allow fungi to reproduce sexually and asexually and
spores require much less work. The spores can float on the wind far away and grow
when conditions are perfect. Since the spores are moved by the wind away from the
current fungus colony, competition is also reduced.

2. How might the environment influence whether a fungus reproduces sexually or

asexually?

They may reproduce asexually when conditions are stable because it allows them to
expand more rapidly but they might reproduce sexually when conditions are changing
because the added genetic variation may help them survive in changing conditions.
Fungi might also choose to reproduce asexually when the near things like running water
or on a windy day when the spores can be carried far.

3. What characteristics of fungi are more plant-like? Animal-like?

Fungi are much more animal-like than plant-like. Fungi don’t photosynthesize but rather
are heterotrophs like animals. They break down organic compounds to use as nutrients.
The cell walls of fungi also don’t contain cellulose but instead contain chitin.

© eScience Labs, 2018

Fungi

EXPERIMENT 1: OBSERVING ASCOMYCOTA (YEAST)

Post-Lab Questions

1. Compare yeast to the Peziza slide. Identify at least one difference and one similarity.

The yeast cells are unicellular and the peziza is multicellular. The ascospores of the
peziza are on the outside of ascus while the yeast ascospores are on the inside of the
ascus. Both have hyphae, ascus, and ascospores.

4. How many ascospores are in each ascus of the yeast?

8.

5. Are the ascospores of the Peziza inside or outside of the asci?

They are on the outside of the asci.

© eScience Labs, 2018