Topic:

General characteristics of fungi

1. Introduction
2. Mode of life
3. Habitat
4. Reproduction
5. Mode of nutrition
6. Size
7. Non motile
8. Non vascular body
9. Esgosterol
10. Incomplete nuclear envelope
1. Introduction
Fungi are heterotrophic eukaryotic organisms including
unicellular to highly complex multicellular body having
body composed of hyphae and cell wall composed of
chitin.
E.g. Bread
 Heterotrophic
Organisms which can’t prepare their own food.
 Eukaryotic
Organisms which have a well defined nucleus.
 Unicellular
E.g. Baker’s yeast
 Multicellular
E.g. Sac fungi
 Hyphae
It is a long branching filamentous structure of a
fungus.
 Septate hyphae
They have cross wall.
 A septate hyphae
They don’t have cross wall.

 Mycelium
Different hyphae combine to form Mycelium. It is
also called body lf fungi.
  Chitin
Plants cell wall is made up of cellulose but fungi’s
cell wall is made of chitin.
Chitin is made up of B¹4 acetyl glucosamine.

2. Mode of life
They act as following:
 Parasite
They live on host and get food from them and in
return cause disease in host. E.g. Rust ( Disease in
Wheat)

 Symbionts
A relationship is created in which both are
benefited.
E.g. Lichen (Algae + fungi)
 Saprophite
They get food from dead organic matter. E.g.
serpula Lacrimans
( Dry rot fungus causes damage to wood )
3. Habitat
They live in aquatic, dark, light and terrestrial
environment.

4. Reproduction
 They reproduce by Vegetative, Asexual reproduction
(spore formation) and sexual reproduction (Plasmogamy,
karyogamy, Meiosis.
5. Mode of nutrition
They are heterotrophic. So they can’t prepare their
own food. They don’t have chlorophyll. So no
photosynthesis. That’s why they absorb food from other
organisms or organic matter. They store their energy in
form of glycogen.

6. Size
They are microscopic and macroscopic. E.g. Yeast in
microscopic.
Mushroom or mold in macroscopic.
7. Non motile
They have no flagella. So no motion.
8. Non vascular body
 Xylem and phloem are absent. So they have non vascular
body.
9. Esgosterol
Esgosterol is also found in cell membrane of fungi. Its
keeps fungi like a fluid.
10. Incomplete nuclear envelope
In all Eukaryotes during cell division nuclear envelope is
dissolved but in case of fungi it is partially dissolved.