BIOLOGICAL

CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom Fungi
Part III
Characteristics of fungi
• are eukaryotic, multi cellular organisms with heterotrophic mode of
nutrition.(exception yeast)
• are saprotrophs i.e. fungi live on dead organic matter. Fungi which live on other
organisms are called parasites.
• produce digestive enzymes through their cell wall into the immediate environment
where complete organic matter is made soluble and absorbed as solution.
• reproduce by both asexual and sexual methods.
• have cell wall made up of chitin.
• acts as decomposer by decomposing complex organic substances of dead mater.
Structure of fungi
• Body consists of long slender thread like structures called hyphae
• Network of hyphae is known as mycelium
Types of hyphae
• Hyphae that have walls between the cells are called septate hyphae;
• Hyphae that lack walls and cell membranes between the cells are
called aseptate and coenocytic hyphae. They form continuous tubes
filled with multinucleated cytoplasm
• Aseptate are considered as lower fungi
Reproduction in fungi
• Vegetative means
- fragmentation, fission and budding

• Asexual reproduction
- by spores called conidia, sporangiospores or
zoospores

• Sexual reproduction
- by oospores, ascospores and basidiospores

Spores are produced in structures called fruiting bodies

Stages in sexual cycle
• Plasmogamy
Fusion of protoplasms between two motile or non motile gametes
• Karyogamy
Fusion of two nuclei
• Formation of haploid spores
Meiosis in zygote resulting in haploid spores
Sexual Reproduction in Fungi
• In some fungi,
• During sexual reproduction two haploid hyphae of compatible mating types
come together and fuse.
• In some fungi the fusion of two haploid cells immediately results in diploid
cells (2n).
• In other fungi (ascomycetes and basidiomycetes), an intervening dikaryotic
stage (n + n, i.e., two nuclei per cell) occurs; such a condition is called a
dikaryon and the phase is called dikaryophase of fungus.
• Later, the parental nuclei fuse and the cells become diploid. The fungi form
fruiting bodies in which reduction division occurs, leading to formation of
haploid spores.
Four classes of kingdom fungi
Phycomycetes
• Members are found in aquatic habitats, decaying woods
• Sometimes as obligate parasite on plants
• These are lower fungi with aseptate and coenocytic hyphae
• Show asexual and sexual method of reproduction
• Asexual - (Sporangiospores are of two types)
- by zoospores (motile) or by aplanospores(non motile)
-spores are produced in sporangium,
-spores are microscopic structure that help fungi to
reproduce, serving a similar purpose to that of seeds in the
plant world. .
Types of spores
• Sexual
- by fusion of gametes resulting in the formation of zygospores
(gametes can be isogamous or anisogamous)

• Isogamous- gametes of similar morphology (similar shape and size)

• Anisogamous-gametes that differ in size and shape
• Oogamous - female gamete is significantly larger than the male gamete. In this, the
female gamete is non motile and male gamete is motile.
Examples of phycomycetes
Ascomycetes
• Commonly called as sac fungi
• Can be parasitic, coprophilous (growing on dung)
• Mycelium is branched and septate
• Reproduce by asexual and sexual spores
• Asexual spores are conidia produced on mycelium called conidiophores
• Eg – Pencilium ,yeast (Saccharomyces)
Ascomycetes
• Sexual reproduction is by sexual spores called ascospores
• Ascospores are produced endogenously in sac like asci (singular
ascus). These
• Asci are arranged in different types of fruiting bodies called
ascocarps.

• Fruiting body is ascocarp which has sac like structures called asci which produce
ascospores
Examples of ascomycetes

morels
Basidiomycetes
• Grow in moist places, logs ets
• Some are parasitic (eg – Rust and smuts)
• Mycelium is branched and septate
• Reproduce by sexual spores and fragmentation
• Sex organs are absent
• Plasmogamy is brought about by fusion of two vegetative
or somatic cells of different strains or genotypes.
• The resultant structure is dikaryotic which ultimately gives
rise to basidium
• Eg – Mushroom (Agaricus)
• Fruiting body is basidiocarp which bears basidium which produce
basidiospores
• Karyogamy and meiosis take place in the basidium producing four
basidiospores
Examples of Basidiomycetes
Deuteromycetes
• Commonly known as imperfect fungi because only the asexual or
vegetative phases of these fungi are known.
• Once perfect (sexual) stages of members of deuteromycetes were
discovered they were often moved to ascomycetes and
basidiomycetes.
• The deuteromycetes reproduce only by asexual spores known as
conidia.
• The mycelium is septate and branched.
• Some members are saprophytes or parasites while a large number of
them are decomposers of litter and help in mineral cycling. Some
examples are
Examples of Deuteromycetes